The late Dr. James Haymore III is remembered as an “instrumental” proponent responsible for the opening of Fannin Regional Hospital as well as a “wonderful” doctor and man overall.
Originally from Fannin County, Haymore graduated medical school in 1958 from the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tennessee.
He earned a bachelors of science from Furman University prior.
He completed a U.S. Army residency in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and a family practice residency in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Haymore’s son, Dan, said his father returned to Fannin County in 1963 to open his own practice, which was located just above where Caldwell Banker in Blue Ridge now resides.
“He had a few other offices in town, but he always practiced medicine here in Blue Ridge until about 1988,” Dan said.
While in Blue Ridge, Haymore served on the Board of Directors that brought Fannin Regional Hospital about in the early 70s.
Around that time, he was also on the board that brought in Fannin County’s first nursing home, Dan said.
Countless babies born in Fannin County were delivered by Haymore during his time here. Dan’s brother-in-law was even delivered by Haymore.
Dr. Raymond Tidman said, “Back in the day when he was practicing, the family docs did everything from deliveries to some emergency surgeries and certainly a lot of emergency care without a lot of connections (specialists, technology) just down the street.”
In 1988, with Haymore’s brother-in-law, Jimmy Galloway, by his side, the duo moved to Athens, Georgia, where they opened a couple of walk-in clinics near the University of Georgia.
Longing to return to a small town feel, Haymore and Galloway later sold the clinics to area hospitals, and he relocated to Danielsville, Georgia.
“He spent 25 years in Blue Ridge and 20 to 25 in Athens and [the] Danielsville area,” Dan said. “He had at least a 50 year career or more.”
In Danielsville, Haymore abandoned his title as a family practice doctor and transitioned to general surgeon.
He later returned to Fannin County.
His daughter, Janet, a nurse practitioner, worked alongside Haymore from 2001 until his retirement in 2016. Janet’s daughter, Catherine, also worked in the office.
“He could diagnose people just by looking at them,” Janet said. “It was always amazing to me how, you know, just listening to the lungs and heart and touching them he could say, ‘Okay, this is what’s going on.’”
Haymore would recommend patients to places like Emory University Hospital if they sought second opinions, Janet said.
“They would say, ‘Why are you arguing with him? He knows what he’s talking about.’”
Haymore married his first wife, Doris, in 1957 after meeting in college.
“They started having kids almost immediately while he was still finishing his stint in the army,” Dan said.
To the family’s dismay, Dorris succumbed to cancer in 2013.
Haymore’s love life doesn’t end there, however, as Haymore later reconnected with a girlfriend who came prior to his relationship with Doris.
“Dad probably wouldn’t have lasted too many years after her (Doris’) death had he not gotten reacquainted with an old girlfriend from his freshman year at Furman University,” Dan said of Haymore’s second wife, Kay Hood Brown.
Haymore was visiting from college when he attended a basketball game at McCaysville High School, which his father J.M. Haymore Jr. coached.
Kay played for Haymore’s father and asked her on a date that evening.
He eventually gifted Kay a promise ring and asked that she wait for him, which she returned saying she was not ready for marriage.
The couple finally wed in 2015 at the First Baptist Church of McCaysville/Copperhill after both their spouses died.
The two sent each other sympathy cards, which is how the flame rekindled.
Haymore “passed into glory surrounded by family July 13, 2020,” according to his obituary. He was 87 years old and suffered of Parkinson’s Disease.
“I had the honor of taking care of Dr. Haymore during the last period of illness in his life,” Tidman said. “He was always a very gracious and, you know, upright with how he approached his illness.”
He explained that although there are treatments for the disease, there is no cure, and the medications were “tough on him.”
During his lifetime, he enjoyed farming and exercising, according to Dan and Kay.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Blue Ridge for many years, serving as deacon and choir member.
He also attended Epworth First Baptist Church with Kay.
“Whenever we would go out to eat ... people would come up to him and start talking about what he’d done for them or he’d delivered a baby or he’d delivered that person standing there talking to him,” Step-daughter Becky Morgan said. “He was a wonderful, wonderful man.”
Having been audited by the IRS several times, Dan said, “The thing that raised the red flags was that they couldn’t believe that anybody that made as much money at a medical practice as he did gave as much.”
To Haymore’s delight, the IRS actually owed him money one year.
“Dr. Haymore was a wonderful family physician,” Belinda Young said. “When Russell and I were young and first starting out, he went above and beyond to help us, not only with delivering Chris, but helping us get ahead in life with good advice and putting us in contact with possible employment. You do not have this type of relationship in this day and time with your physician.”
Shirl Stepp said, “He was a great influence in my life. I worked the front office back in 1968. He was the sweetest and most gentle man, gracious to everyone always. His faith was so much a part of him, a part of his speech, a part of his doctoring.”