IN MEMORIAM

BOWDRE LUCIAN CARSWELL, MD

1926-2022

Dr. Bowdre Lucian Carswell died of natural causes in the early hours of June 13, 2022, at his apartment in the Vista del Monte retirement complex in Santa Barbara.

Dr. Carswell was born January 18, 1926, in Sardis, Georgia into a family with four older brothers and one younger sister. His father, Alex Carswell, was a Southern Baptist minister, CPA, small-town lawyer and educator, and his mother, Marjorie Norris Carswell, was a homemaker who every day read a page of the Bible and a page in the dictionary.

Dr. Carswell served as a Naval officer with the U.S. Air Force and was deployed to Japan and Korea. Returning from the Korean War in 1952, Dr. Carswell began a surgical residency followed by a pathology residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI.

Dr. Carswell met Betty Jean Boyles while doing his surgical residency. Ms. Boyles was a registered nurse, and after relocating to Santa Barbara, she worked at Cottage Hospital and Sansum Clinic. They married on March 26, 1958, at the First Baptist Church. Theirs was a long and loving marriage and they served together in many worthwhile capacities in the Santa Barbara medical and Christian communities until Betty’s death in 2017.

In 1957, Dr. Carswell joined the practice of Dr. Bill Sheehan in Santa Barbara. After Dr. Sheehan’s retirement, Dr. Carswell continued to practice there until he retired in March 1996 at age 70.

Dr. Carswell served in many capacities in all of the local hospitals, and one of his most cherished honors was to be chosen Physician of the Year in 1994 as the first recipient. He

was selected by his peers from both St. Francis Hospital and Cottage Hospital.

Definitely noteworthy is the unusual fact that Dr. Carswell had three brothers who also practiced medicine: Dr. Gus Carswell, orthopedic surgeon in Augusta, GA; Dr. John Carswell, anesthesiologist, and Dr. Harold (“Bud”) Carswell, colorectal surgeon in Santa Barbara. It was not unusual for Dr. Bo and Dr. Bud to be doing surgery together while Dr. John administered the anesthetic.

One of Bowdre’s favorite accomplishments was to have been part of the team (which included his brother Dr. Harold Carswell) that developed the Valle Verde Retirement Community. He was actively involved from the inception in the 1950’s until the doors opened in 1965.

Survivors include Bowdre’s sister and brother-in-law Marjorie and Jim Brandt of Santa Barbara, brother-in-law Bill Young (Rose) of Youngsville, PA and many nieces and nephews for whom “Uncle Bo” was really a second father throughout their lives.

Adapted from the Santa Barbara Independent

In Memoriam

URSULA HENDERSON, MD

1927-2022

As she would have put it, Dr. Ursula Henderson “popped off’ at her Valle Verde residence, one week after her 95th birthday, eased out by the very kind and caring staff there, as well as the hospice consultants. Her beloved pup, Rosie, and dear kitty, Cuddles, were by her side.

Ursula was born in London, the only child of Scottish parents, and she spent many of her childhood years during WWII in a safer haven, Torquay, Devon. She was one of few women to graduate from London’s Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in 1950; she subsequently became board certified in Psychiatry/ Neurology and immigrated to the U.S. in 1955 where she eventually became a dual citizen. She had a private psychiatric practice in Manhattan and Princeton before marrying Robert Stevenson (British/ American film director) whom she had met Hollywood style aboard a QE II transatlantic crossing. They ultimately relocated from Burbank to Santa Barbara, where she cared for thousands of patients from 1977 until her retirement in 1998. After Bob’s death, she became the wife of Wallace Drew (Santa Barbara businessman) and sadly was again widowed in 2003. With both husbands, she enjoyed immensely a beautiful home and garden in Montecito and many travels around the world. She never lost her love for her homeland and dear medical school friends and, up until recently, eagerly visited England yearly.

Ursula was an elegant bon vivant, witty and clever, intellectually curious and, apropos of her profession, fascinated by human behavior. Throughout her adult life, she was a generous philanthropist and especially supported United Way of Santa Barbara County, the American Heart Association, and Santa Barbara City College Foundation. She served as Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Cottage Hospital and was a member of numerous Boards.

Besides her family and friends, her two passions in life were books and animals. She was a voracious reader of both fiction and non-fiction and a frequent patron of Tecolote Book Shop. She adopted many rescue dogs and cats in her lifetime and was an avid advocate for the animal adoption organizations wherever she resided.

She is lovingly survived by several godchildren, two stepdaughters, a step niece, a step grandson, and numerous good friends.

Adapted from the Santa Barbara Independent

In Memoriam

JOHN GEORGE HENRY, MD

1940-2022

It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to John George Henry. Dr. John George Henry, 82, of Templeton, California, passed away peacefully on March 31, 2022, in his home of 46 years after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on February 21, 1940.

Dr. Henry tirelessly dedicated himself to the health and wellbeing of his patients and his loving family. He was a general surgeon in Templeton and San Luis Obispo for over 35 years. He moved to Templeton, CA, to be part of Twin Cities Hospital when it opened in 1977 and retired in 2010. As a dedicated doctor, his business card always included his home phone number for his patients to reach him after hours.

John graduated from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, in 1961 and completed Medical School at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, in 1966. Dr. Henry was a proud veteran, having served in the United States Navy and completed his medical training at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego. Lieutenant Commander Henry was stationed in Port Hueneme, CA, and deployed with the U.S. Navy Seabees / MASH unit for a combat tour in Vietnam.

Dr. Henry and his family have resided in Hidden Valley Ranch in Templeton since 1976. This was his paradise. He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Charlotte Henry, daughter Alison Henry of San Francisco, her husband Joseph, and son Rye Custodio, daughter Meredith Henry of Denver, Colorado, her husband Chad, son Colton Humphrey and sister Cindy Lapp and brother-in-law Richard of Dallas, Texas.

Originally published in the Atascadero News