Dr. William Milton Adams Jr.'s Obituary
Dr. William Milton Adams peacefully left this earth on February 21, 2025, at 89 years old. William was born on July 28,1935 in Memphis, Tennessee to Dr. William Milton Adams Sr. & Catherine Taylor Adams. He grew up in Memphis at the family home located at 398 East Avenue and attended local public schools, graduating from Central High School. He then went on to graduate from Washington & Lee University in Virginia. Tragically, that same year, his beloved and brilliant father passed away at the young age of 51.
Following in his esteemed father’s footsteps, he pursued a career in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, graduating from the University of Tennessee Medical School, Memphis in 1961 with his Doctorate degree. Later that same year, he married Nina Todd from West Point, MS whom he’d met when she was in nursing school.
They moved to Oklahoma City for his surgical internship and welcomed their first child William Milton Adams, III in 1963. In 1965, they moved to Galveston, TX, for his Plastic Surgery residency where they had two more children: Ashley Anne and Todd Taylor. In 1968, William was drafted into the U. S. Army during Vietnam War. He and his young family were moved to an army base in Landstuhl, Germany in 1969 where they lived for 3 years and where they welcomed their last child Murray Gordon. In 1972 he was honorably discharged with the rank of Lt. Colonel.
Back in his hometown of Memphis, William began his private practice. He had a long, prosperous and highly respected career in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Memphis. In fact, his medical career spanned over 60 years! Aside from medicine, William had many interests and talents. He was a painter, tennis player, hunter, fisherman and competitive hunting dog trainer. But, perhaps, his favorite activity was playing banjo. While in Germany, at the ripe age of 35, he taught himself to play Bluegrass banjo. The family will always remember the countless hours of him practicing to old Scruggs & Flatt records. He was a popular fixture amongst Memphis’s Bluegrass community, playing weekly at pickin’ parties around town, and a member in two different Bluegrass bands.
William led a full life and touched many lives. He will be dearly missed by his decades-long 2nd Baptist Church community, local Bluegrass musicians and the wonderful doctors and medical staff he worked alongside. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Robert Franklin Adams, and sister, Ann Taylor Adams, and his wife Betty Jo Adams. He leaves behind his sister Sue Pittman (Bill Pittman) of Milan, TN; and his four children and their spouses: Milton Adams, (Donna Morgan), Ashley Fox, (Dan Fox), Todd Adams (Karin Love Thompson), and Murray Adams (Therese Hilton), 9 grandchildren and many other loving family members and friends.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association and/or your favorite charity. A memorial service will be held on June 7th at Memorial Park Funeral Home at 5668 Poplar Avenue, with visitation at 10 AM and the service at 11 AM, followed by a celebration of life at 1pm (details will be given at the service).
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