Royce Edwin Read

A celebration of the life of Dr. Royce Edwin Read will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 17, 2014, at Carpenter’s Way Baptist Church, with Reverend Randy Green and Dr. John Wood officiating.
Dr. Read was 86 years old, having commemorated his birthday just two days prior to his unexpected death. Among his many interests, Dr. Read was an accomplished sportsman who greatly enjoyed the outdoors. He passed away while he and his son were enroute to Lufkin following a week at his daughter’s ranch in South Texas. As he would have wished, his final hunt took place only hours before, where he harvested the largest buck of his lifetime.
Born in Lufkin on December 12, 1928 to Rastus and Erma Read, Royce grew up in Lufkin and worked as a young man in his father’s sheet metal shop. He chose medicine for his life’s work, and after graduation from the University of Texas and following service in the United States Air Force with active duty in Korea, he received his medical credentials from the University of Texas, Galveston, graduating with honor. He established his practice in Lufkin and earned prominence as a dedicated and well-loved family doctor, willing to make house-calls. As one of Lufkin’s foremost physicians of his era, Dr. Read was a skilled and respected practitioner of general medicine for many of Angelina County’s families for more than fifty years. Not only was he successful in private practice, he also served as Chief of Staff for Memorial Hospital. He spent more than 30 years as the Angelina County Health doctor and served as President of the Angelina County Medical Association. After his retirement from family medicine, he accepted a position with Memorial Medical Center as head of Hyperbaric Medicine until his own health concerns finally curtailed his career. He had a long and productive life of service, including time as staff physician for Boy Scouts of America at Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. He not only gave hours of his time as a physician, he also spent many winters at Philmont elk and mule deer hunting with family and a long list of great friends who still continue to carry on this tradition. In addition to medicine, Royce was a musician and an aviator, and he amassed a wide spectrum of friends who will miss his amiable disposition and hospitality. He was a founding member of Christ Congregational Church of Lufkin.
Dr. Read is survived by his children and their spouses, Royce, Jr., and Rebecca Read of Livingston, Nancy and Steve Hicks of Lufkin, Jane and Mark Reily of Dallas, Standley and Amy Read of Lufkin, and Lauren and John Saunders of San Antonio; his grandchildren and their spouses, Royce E. and Amber Read III, Russell and Jessica Read, David and Bonny Hicks, Mark and Callie Hicks, Sarah and Josh Allen, Will and Emily Hicks, Read, Thomas and John Mark Reily, Anna Reily, Ella Read, Eden Read, John “Cuate” Saunders, and Ada Saunders; great grandchildren, Ben Hicks, John Hicks, Luke Hicks, Caroline Hicks, Macy Hicks, Aniston Hicks, Addy Allen, Peyton Allen, Elizabeth Mary Allen, Raeleigh Read, Royce Read IV, sister, Mary Jule Tatum of Lufkin, and his nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law Joseph Tatum.
Honorary pallbearers will be his grandsons and Dr. James Caskey and Dr. David Glenn.
The family will welcome friends from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday evening at Carpenter’s Way Baptist Church .
Memorial contributions in memory of Dr. Read may be made to Christ Congregational Church, PO Box 27, Lufkin, Texas 75901 or to Philmont Scout Ranch Scholarship Fund in Memory of Dr. Royce Read, 17 Deer Run Road, Cimmarron, New Mexico 87714.
Memories and condolences may be added at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.
Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.