PAUL A. FEIL MD
10/22/1922 - 4/5/2020
Paul Arnold Feil MD, a.k.a. Opa (German for Grandfather), Dad/Daddy, Onkel Arnold (by nieces and nephews), Dr. Feil, Doc and even Papa Pitufo (bestowed upon him by a grandkid) grew up in Belen, NM with the family nickname of “Noldy” (for Arnold). The son of German immigrants, he spent his formative years enjoying school, putting on plays (for anyone who would watch the troupe of players) and establishing life-long friendships in the ‘OK Club’ … a small group of friends with their last reunion held in Deming and Palomas in 1995.
The son of a storekeeper whose half of the Feil and Ellermeyer in Belen was the grocery side, he had wanted to become a storekeeper like his father, but a stint at a Boy Scout Camp at Bluewater convinced him that he would become a doctor. He graduated from Baylor Medical School in 1948 and the rest became history. There was the internship at St. Louis City Hospital where his heart was captured by a nurse, Alma, who became his bride in 1949.
Arriving in Deming after a year in the US Navy, they established a home and set up the first office at 123. So. Silver – where Irma’s Restaurant currently resides. It had been a blacksmith shop and then a filling station before he opened up to see patients on August 16th, 1950. For 42 years he served the community in the primary role as a physician.
December 23, 1956, he moved Deming Medical Clinic to 215 S. Silver Ave – the location most familiar to Demingites. Over the next 36 years, the building grew through remodels to a complex where 13 other physicians also served and allowed out of town specialists to see patients. People may remember his bulletin board where syringes were used instead of thumbtacks, the bathroom with the polyethylene toilet seat embedded with pills and capsules or maybe the exam room with his ‘Mona Lisa Collection’ – an irreverent supply of Mona Lisa’s depicted in curlers, sunglasses or with her dentures in a glass! He reportedly favored the “Moaning Lisa” which came with sound effects. This collection grew even after he retired in 1992 thanks to former patient’s friends and family.
During those years of office visits (up to 100 a day during a swine flu epidemic) , hospital and nursing home visits, as well as house calls, he delivered over 4000 babies, oversaw the first Polio Vaccine distribution (vaccine delivered on sugar cubes) in Deming and was a Clinical Assistant Professor for the UNM School of Medicine Preceptor Program which had students from UNM, Rush, Harvard, Creighton and Washington universities spending time in Deming learning about rural health care. His most memorable offer of payment was a horse, which he declined as he lived ‘in town’. There were handmade afghans, bottles of Mogen David wine, a hand tool brief case and even a piece of marble that became the coffee table in the living room. He could add he provided care to June Carter Cash and David Carradine to his lengthy resume of patients.
He made time to participate in multiple aspects of Deming and NM life as both he and Alma felt it was important to ‘be involved and contribute to the community”. Before retiring in 1992, some of his “other” jobs included serving on the Village of Deming Board of trustees (1958-62); the Deming Public School Board of Education (1959-65); Chairman of the Central Committee-Republican Party of NM; Luna County Coroner (1966-74); Board of Directors for NM Blue Shield (1963-66); District Medical Investigator for the State of NM (1974-92); FFA Aviation Medical Examiner (1961-92); and Medical Consultant, Luna County Selective Service Board (1951-73). He was President of the NM Family Practice Association in the 60’s and was an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.
1950 started his association with Lion’s Club and he attended Tuesday meetings as often as he could. People may remember him calling bingo; cooking and selling burgers at the Fair Grounds, selling brushes/brooms or coloring books as fundraisers or supporting Operation Kidsight which is still a key part of Vision Screening in the schools. He was active with the Yucca Council Boy Scouts of America and even trekked down and back out of the Grand Canyon with Scout Troop 110. He recalled that near the end of the trail, he had to pulling up each leg using his pants as his legs were so tired and he took to waving a $100 bill at every airplane he saw fly over! He proudly “watched over” the health of the high school football players with physicals and as Team Doctor for over 20 years – initially responding when called out of the stands and evolving to being on the field. He relished the player salute at his athletic retirement dinner when the ‘gentlemen all turned their heads and coughed’. Remember his Model A? He used to take patients from the nursing home on rides and had two ladies join him and Alma in a parade.
After retirement, he was associated with the Council on Aging, Community Healthcare Foundation and the development of Hospice in Deming. He and Alma traveled extensively in Europe, Russia, South America (yep, he even swam with the Piranhas) and Australia. He included kids and grandkids on reunion trips to Cozumel, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Bahamas and Lake Powell – making memories to last a lifetime.
Feil Fun Facts: He spoke three languages and a smattering of Russian he learned for a trip. He played the sousaphone in the HS band. He liked bacon and eggs. Even though a consummate New Mexican, he never took a liking to chile. He liked Double Mint gum because his OK Club friend Lois favored it. He managed the grocery business for a time in 1947 during a break from Med School and was buying beans at .02 cents a pound. He checked one bag of ‘perfect’ beans and assumed the others were the same. After buying 2 burlap sacks, he opened to find dirt and chips not suitable for selling. He jumped into his car and followed the sellers and regained his money…and his pride he said. That supported his decision to be a doctor! He delivered his first baby at Mimbres Memorial on 9/17/1957, and said he remembered because she was waiting for him on the stoop of the ER! He and Alma had a ‘Feil Fever-Reducing Cabinet’ at the house for those unexpected times a child was brought to the house for care. The final charge for an office visit on 5/29/1992 was $29 ‘and change’.
So many more stories can be told by the Deming Community. To say he will be missed is understated. We are sure that he would want to be remembered fondly and with a twinkle in your eye.
A public memorial service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, gifts to honor and made in memory of Dr. Feil may be made for the Paul A. Feil Scholarship made through Western New Mexico University Foundation on line at Https://wnmu.edu/donate or by mail to WNMU Foundation. P.O. Box 1158, Silver City, NM 88062. Please indicate in the note: Paul A Feil, MD Scholarship.
Entrusted to the care of Baca’s Funeral Chapels and Mimbres Crematory.
10/22/1922 - 4/5/2020
Paul Arnold Feil MD, a.k.a. Opa (German for Grandfather), Dad/Daddy, Onkel Arnold (by nieces and nephews), Dr. Feil, Doc and even Papa Pitufo (bestowed upon him by a grandkid) grew up in Belen, NM with the family nickname of “Noldy” (for Arnold). The son of German immigrants, he spent his formative years enjoying school, putting on plays (for anyone who would watch the troupe of players) and establishing life-long friendships in the ‘OK Club’ … a small group of friends with their last reunion held in Deming and Palomas in 1995.
The son of a storekeeper whose half of the Feil and Ellermeyer in Belen was the grocery side, he had wanted to become a storekeeper like his father, but a stint at a Boy Scout Camp at Bluewater convinced him that he would become a doctor. He graduated from Baylor Medical School in 1948 and the rest became history. There was the internship at St. Louis City Hospital where his heart was captured by a nurse, Alma, who became his bride in 1949.
Arriving in Deming after a year in the US Navy, they established a home and set up the first office at 123. So. Silver – where Irma’s Restaurant currently resides. It had been a blacksmith shop and then a filling station before he opened up to see patients on August 16th, 1950. For 42 years he served the community in the primary role as a physician.
December 23, 1956, he moved Deming Medical Clinic to 215 S. Silver Ave – the location most familiar to Demingites. Over the next 36 years, the building grew through remodels to a complex where 13 other physicians also served and allowed out of town specialists to see patients. People may remember his bulletin board where syringes were used instead of thumbtacks, the bathroom with the polyethylene toilet seat embedded with pills and capsules or maybe the exam room with his ‘Mona Lisa Collection’ – an irreverent supply of Mona Lisa’s depicted in curlers, sunglasses or with her dentures in a glass! He reportedly favored the “Moaning Lisa” which came with sound effects. This collection grew even after he retired in 1992 thanks to former patient’s friends and family.
During those years of office visits (up to 100 a day during a swine flu epidemic) , hospital and nursing home visits, as well as house calls, he delivered over 4000 babies, oversaw the first Polio Vaccine distribution (vaccine delivered on sugar cubes) in Deming and was a Clinical Assistant Professor for the UNM School of Medicine Preceptor Program which had students from UNM, Rush, Harvard, Creighton and Washington universities spending time in Deming learning about rural health care. His most memorable offer of payment was a horse, which he declined as he lived ‘in town’. There were handmade afghans, bottles of Mogen David wine, a hand tool brief case and even a piece of marble that became the coffee table in the living room. He could add he provided care to June Carter Cash and David Carradine to his lengthy resume of patients.
He made time to participate in multiple aspects of Deming and NM life as both he and Alma felt it was important to ‘be involved and contribute to the community”. Before retiring in 1992, some of his “other” jobs included serving on the Village of Deming Board of trustees (1958-62); the Deming Public School Board of Education (1959-65); Chairman of the Central Committee-Republican Party of NM; Luna County Coroner (1966-74); Board of Directors for NM Blue Shield (1963-66); District Medical Investigator for the State of NM (1974-92); FFA Aviation Medical Examiner (1961-92); and Medical Consultant, Luna County Selective Service Board (1951-73). He was President of the NM Family Practice Association in the 60’s and was an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice.
1950 started his association with Lion’s Club and he attended Tuesday meetings as often as he could. People may remember him calling bingo; cooking and selling burgers at the Fair Grounds, selling brushes/brooms or coloring books as fundraisers or supporting Operation Kidsight which is still a key part of Vision Screening in the schools. He was active with the Yucca Council Boy Scouts of America and even trekked down and back out of the Grand Canyon with Scout Troop 110. He recalled that near the end of the trail, he had to pulling up each leg using his pants as his legs were so tired and he took to waving a $100 bill at every airplane he saw fly over! He proudly “watched over” the health of the high school football players with physicals and as Team Doctor for over 20 years – initially responding when called out of the stands and evolving to being on the field. He relished the player salute at his athletic retirement dinner when the ‘gentlemen all turned their heads and coughed’. Remember his Model A? He used to take patients from the nursing home on rides and had two ladies join him and Alma in a parade.
After retirement, he was associated with the Council on Aging, Community Healthcare Foundation and the development of Hospice in Deming. He and Alma traveled extensively in Europe, Russia, South America (yep, he even swam with the Piranhas) and Australia. He included kids and grandkids on reunion trips to Cozumel, Bonaire, Costa Rica, Bahamas and Lake Powell – making memories to last a lifetime.
Feil Fun Facts: He spoke three languages and a smattering of Russian he learned for a trip. He played the sousaphone in the HS band. He liked bacon and eggs. Even though a consummate New Mexican, he never took a liking to chile. He liked Double Mint gum because his OK Club friend Lois favored it. He managed the grocery business for a time in 1947 during a break from Med School and was buying beans at .02 cents a pound. He checked one bag of ‘perfect’ beans and assumed the others were the same. After buying 2 burlap sacks, he opened to find dirt and chips not suitable for selling. He jumped into his car and followed the sellers and regained his money…and his pride he said. That supported his decision to be a doctor! He delivered his first baby at Mimbres Memorial on 9/17/1957, and said he remembered because she was waiting for him on the stoop of the ER! He and Alma had a ‘Feil Fever-Reducing Cabinet’ at the house for those unexpected times a child was brought to the house for care. The final charge for an office visit on 5/29/1992 was $29 ‘and change’.
So many more stories can be told by the Deming Community. To say he will be missed is understated. We are sure that he would want to be remembered fondly and with a twinkle in your eye.
A public memorial service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, gifts to honor and made in memory of Dr. Feil may be made for the Paul A. Feil Scholarship made through Western New Mexico University Foundation on line at Https://wnmu.edu/donate or by mail to WNMU Foundation. P.O. Box 1158, Silver City, NM 88062. Please indicate in the note: Paul A Feil, MD Scholarship.
Entrusted to the care of Baca’s Funeral Chapels and Mimbres Crematory.
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