OBITUARY: Retired Internist Dr. Francis Shingler Pooser, 88, of Melbourne Beach, Passed Away June 2

Dr. Pooser served as President of the Brevard County Medical Society and Chief of Staff at Brevard Hospital

Served in the Air Force, as a Chief Medical Officer, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, during the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE BEACH, FLORIDA – Dr. Francis Shingler Pooser, age 88, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 2 at 9 p.m. in his home in Melbourne Beach, Florida, surrounded by his loving family.

Francis was born in Lake Wales, Florida on December 20, 1931, the only child of Francis E. and Elizabeth S. Pooser.

Francis graduated from Lake Wales High School, then attended Erskine College and graduated from The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Pooser received his MD from Emory University, in Atlanta, Georgia, where he met the love of his life, Marjorie Whitehead.

On June 23, 1956, Francis married Majorie, and they celebrated a marriage of 64 years. In 1961, following his internal medicine residency at George Washington University, he served in the Air Force, as a Chief Medical Officer, stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida, during “The Bay of Pigs” invasion of Cuba.

In 1962, Francis and Majorie moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida to begin a career in private medical practice, where together they raised five children, Marta, Bruce, Jonathan, Lisa and Kenneth.

Early in his career, Dr. Pooser was called upon to provide medical examinations to NASA Executives at the Cape Canaveral Space Center. Dr. Pooser served as President of the Brevard County Medical Society and Chief of Staff at Brevard Hospital.

Dr. Pooser was the lead Internist in one of the first pacemaker implants at Brevard Hospital. Dr. Pooser, known for a caring bedside manner, provided internal medicine services to thousands of patients throughout Brevard County for over 30 years, until his retirement in 1996.

Francis was a voracious reader and a teaching grammatician to his children and grandchildren; enjoyed all music especially the classical and jazz greats; loved to deep-sea fish with his children, and was a shrewd gin rummy and poker player.

In retirement, his time was spent in Beech Mountain, North Carolina, with friends and family, in his words, “playing the greatest game on earth,” golf! Most of all, nothing brought Francis more joy than spending time with his family.

Francis was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Edward Pooser and Elizabeth Shingler Pooser. He is survived by his beloved wife, Majorie Whitehead Pooser, daughter Marta Cohen and husband Daniel, son Bruce Pooser and wife Lauren, son Jonathan Pooser, daughter Lisa Linker, and husband John, son Kenneth Pooser and six grandchildren, Madeline Cohen, Alec Cohen, Christina Pooser, Anna Pooser, Caroline Linker and Jonathan “Will” Linker.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The First Tee of Central Florida. The family is grateful to VITAS Hospice and the Brownlie Maxwell Funeral Home.

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