Dr. Ray Bellamy

Raymond Edward Bellamy, Jr., passed away on August 22, 2023, at the Margaret Z. Dozier Hospice House, in Tallahassee, FL, after a brief illness. Ray was born on August 13, 1940, in Macon, GA, to Raymond E. and Sarah Cornell Bellamy. He spent his early childhood in Georgia and Florida before moving with his family to Bakersfield, CA. It was in Bakersfield that Ray discovered his lifelong love of tennis and began to play competitively, starting with the USTA California Junior Circuit. Ray attended Florida State University on a tennis scholarship and was elected Captain of the FSU Men’s Tennis Team. After graduating from FSU with a biology degree in 1961, he spent two years at the University of Florida College of Medicine before transferring to the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, from which he graduated in 1965. After an internship at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX, he served as a Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Navy. During his service he played on the All-Navy Tennis Team, where he was doubles champion. He finished his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Kentucky in 1972, and after the completion of two fellowships, was a faculty member at the College of Medicine there from 1972-74. In 1974, Ray moved back to Tallahassee with his young family to open his practice of orthopedic surgery. Over the next 45 years, he was a dedicated and compassionate physician to thousands of patients in North Florida and South Georgia, many of whom are still walking with hips and knees he replaced at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where he was a longtime member of the medical staff. From 2004-15, he was Surgery Clerkship Director for the FSU College of Medicine, where the Ray Bellamy Leadership in Medicine Fund is named for him. He retired from the practice of medicine in 2019. Ray was President of the Capital Medical Society in 1992 and President of the Florida Orthopedic Society in 1994-95. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and elected to membership in the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. In 2009, Capital Medical Society presented him with the Outstanding Physician Award in recognition of his leadership, dedication, and commitment to the medical profession. Ray continued to play tennis for his entire life and was ranked nationally for several years. He won and placed in numerous local, state, regional, and national tournaments in the open division and was the Florida 35-and-over singles and doubles champion in the 1970s. Notable wins later in his life include a 2000 State Men’s Singles Championship, the 2006 Florida Cup Team Championship, and 2005, 2007, and 2016 USTA national doubles titles. He was elected to the FSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. Ray was a passionate advocate for access to medical care and for the environment and was active in several organizations reflecting those interests, including Physicians for a National Health Program. He served on the Florida Environmental Regulation Commission in the 1980s. In addition to his parents, Ray was preceded in death by his first wife and the mother of his children, Carol Zimmer Bellamy, by a sister, Sarah Anderson, and by a brother, Richard Bellamy. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jann Johnson Bellamy, his son, David Bellamy (Mary), of Tallahassee, his daughter, Diane Bellamy Perry, of Tampa, his stepdaughter, Rosemary Farrell (Kevin Malfa), and his stepson, Andrew Hart (Maria), all of Tallahassee. He is also survived by his eight wonderful grandchildren, to whom he was “PopPop”: Hayden and Rowan Perry, Brantley and Olivia Bellamy, JP and Bella Evans, and Henry and Peter Hart. Other survivors include a sister, Penny Bellamy (Mark Simon), of Stony Creek, CT, and a brother, Alan Bellamy (Cora), of Pittsburg, CA. A Memorial Service celebrating Ray’s life will be held at 5 pm on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, at Capital City Country Club, with a reception and visitation with the family immediately following. For those wanting to make a memorial contribution, in accordance with Ray’s wishes the family suggests Big Bend Hospice, 1723 Mahan Center Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32308, or the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare Foundation, 1331 East 6th Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32303. Rocky Bevis and Kelly Barber of Bevis Funeral Home (850-385-2193 or www.bevisfh.com) are assisting the Bellamy family with their arrangements.

Tributes

Dr. Ray Bellamy

August 13, 1940 - August 22, 2023