Columbus, OH — Dr. James A. Myers, 78, of Whitestown, Ind., died Nov. 20, 2021. He was a doctor, mentor, prankster, Sunday School teacher, friend, and father.

A lifelong lover of horses, he achieved his boyhood dream of becoming a cowboy. He specialized in cutting and won numerous national competitions. In recent years, he owned and trained Standardbreds, rising before dawn nearly every day of the week to train his horses at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Dr. Myers embodied hard work and self-reliance, and took delight in the great outdoors. He enjoyed bird-watching, walking in the woods, splitting logs, chopping down trees, and taking on other dangerous tasks on his farm against his daughters’ better wishes. He shrugged off personal injuries; after one solo trip to the hospital, he hid copies of X-rays of his broken ribs from his daughters in a drawer in his kitchen. He enjoyed woodcarving and created long-handled spoons made from Osage orange and walnut wood harvested from his property, which he gave as Christmas presents.

He nurtured all generations of a sprawling family, who regularly gathered at his house to eat his famously good cooking. He taught his grandchildren how to whistle, whittle, snort, and sneak candies when mom wasn’t looking. He was often taciturn, but also a great talker and storyteller. He could cut a rug: at family weddings, he pulled every niece, aunt, cousin, and sister-in-law onto the dance floor to do the twist, waltz, and box-trot, which he learned as a child.

The dusty bench in his barn was typically the place where he would share what he was reading. A literature major in college, he continued to study Shakespeare, Faulkner, Chaucer, and the Bible throughout his adult life. “True Grit” was an all-time favorite along with the poetry of Robert Frost. He wrote letters that opened with a weather report or bird sighting before settling into deeper, sometimes philosophical territory.

A graduate of Vanderbilt University and the Indiana University School of Medicine, Dr. Myers also served as a physician in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Fort Campbell, Ky. As an obstetrician-gynecologist in Indianapolis for more than 40 years, he brought thousands of babies into the world. Half of Boone County, many joked. While respected for his skill as a surgeon and in the delivery room, it was his compassion and advocacy for his patients that distinguished him. His employees and patients alike came to him with their problems. He was also a mentor, who especially enjoyed coaching young residents, who sought him out for advice and midnight pizza.

Born Sep. 1, 1943, in Lebanon, he married his high school sweetheart, Linda Jones, on July 14, 1967. Though she preceded him in death in 1992, she forever remained the love of his life. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Ezra and Marjorie; sister, Jeannine; and brothers, Jon and Joe. He is survived by his brother, Jack; daughters, Anne Cleary, Caroline (Lindsey) Millar, and Susannah (Matthew) Beachboard; and grandchildren, Molly Cleary, Will Cleary, Lila Cleary, August Millar, Emmett Millar, and Olivia Beachboard.

His family will gather for a small and private funeral service in December. They are planning for a larger celebration of Jim’s life in the Spring of 2022.

Final care has been entrusted to the Strawmyer & Drury Mortuary, 2400 N. Lebanon St., Lebanon. You are invited to visit the website where you may sign his online register and leave a personal message at www.strawmyerdrury.com.