Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Fitchett, Claiborne Willcox, MD July 2, 2011
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Robert Woolfitt http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00034.html#0008401 August 28, 2025, 3:26 pm

Virginian-Pilot July 5, 2011
VIRGINIA BEACH - Claiborne Willcox Fitchett, M.D., 87, died on July 2, 2011, 
after a long period of declining health. Claiborne was born June 10, 1924, in 
Norfolk, the son of Pearl Harris Fitchett and Marion Stevenson Fitchett, M.D. He 
was a 1942 graduate of Granby High School, attended the University of Virginia 
and was a 1947 graduate of the University of Virginia Medical School where he 
earned a medical degree and a Master of Science in surgery. His medical training 
was interrupted by service to his country in the U.S. Navy during the Korean 
War, serving as a medical officer. In 1954, he returned to Norfolk to begin his 
medical career, first in private practice with his father and then as a founder 
and leader in Norfolk Surgical Group until his retirement. In his more than 40 
years of practicing surgery at Norfolk General and Leigh Memorial hospitals, 
Claiborne held a number of surgery leadership positions including chief of 
Division of General Surgery at Medical Center Hospitals in 1978. His love of 
medicine and his desire to make medical education more accessible led him to 
play an instrumental role in the founding of Eastern Virginia Medical School. 
Claiborne was a longtime member of the faculty and served in many leadership 
positions at EVMS including Rector. In 2000, EVMS awarded Claiborne an Honorary 
Doctor of Science degree in appreciation for his service to the school. It was 
at EVMS that he discovered his love of teaching and sharing his passion for 
medicine with the next generation of medical professionals. In the words of one 
of his partners, "this uniquely gifted surgeon was a true mentor in every sense 
of the word...he showed me first hand the true joy of doing what you love to do 
and doing it as well as you possibly can." He was active in local, state and 
national medical and surgical societies and held leadership roles including 
president of Virginia Surgical Society, the Southern Society of Clinical 
Surgeons and the University of Virginia Medical Alumni Association. Among his 
many published articles on surgery, the one that he perhaps enjoyed the most was 
a historical monograph "Surgery and Surgeons in Virginia, 1607-1995," which he 
co-authored with his very close friend and fellow surgeon, the late W. Levi Old, 
M.D. When not practicing medicine, Claiborne loved either being in a duck blind 
or on the golf course with his many friends - old and new, young and not so 
young - that he made at the Ships Cabin Club and the Princess Anne Country Club. 
He enjoyed the camaraderie from his association with The Virginia Club and his 
book club, The Literary Society. He was also a former member of the Board of 
Norfolk Collegiate School and a longtime member of The Church of the Good 
Shepherd in Norfolk where he served on the vestry. He is survived by his wife of 
54 years, Margaret Hitch Fitchett and his two daughters, Mary Fitchett Carpenter 
and her husband, Cato of Baltimore and Susan Fitchett Robertson and her husband, 
Walter of Richmond and four grandchildren, Cato Douglas Glover Carpenter Jr. and 
Margaret Page Carpenter of Baltimore and Mary Fitchett Robertson and Robert 
MacLeod Woods Robertson of Richmond. The Fitchett family warmly thanks the many 
caring staff members of Elder Care for their dedicated service and kindness to 
Claiborne during his illness. A memorial service will be held at The Church of 
the Good Shepherd, 7400 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23505, on July 6 at 11 a.m. 
The family will have a burial. Memorial donations can be made in Claiborne's 
name to EVMS Foundation, P.O. Box 5, Norfolk, VA 23510 or The Church of the Good 
Shepherd. H.D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, Laskin Road, is handling arrangements. 
Online condolences may be offered to the family through hdoliver.com.

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