Obituary for William "Bill" Claude Fitzhugh, MD
William C. Fitzhugh, M.D. (Bill), passed away on Sunday, September 11, 2022, at his home in
Twin Falls, Idaho. He was 73. Bill was a longtime resident of Twin Falls, and an
ophthalmologist who served the greater Magic Valley area from 1980 until his retirement in
2016.
Bill was born in Butte, Montana; the only child of Claude and Marie Fitzhugh. When Bill was in
middle school his father retired from his job as an electrician at Montana Power, and the family
moved to Kimberly, Idaho.
Bill was very active in athletics, especially basketball, football and track. Bill earned a full-ride
academic scholarship to the University of Idaho where he graduated with honors pre-med. After
college, he married his high school sweetheart, Janet Parish.
He then attended Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, where he graduated
with an MD, Magna Cum Laude. He and Jan had 2 children in Oregon before moving the family
back to Idaho. They settled in Twin Falls and Bill opened his private ophthalmology practice in
1980.
Bill earned many accolades in the medical world - he served as the president of the Idaho
Society of Ophthalmology (’86), chief of surgery (‘87) and president of medical staff (‘88) for the
Magic Valley Hospital. Bill opened the Sawtooth Surgery Center in 1998. He was a skilled
surgeon and saved the vision of many people in the area after accidental trauma. He truly loved
to keep up with the latest medical advancements and worked tirelessly to ensure that he was
familiar with all eye-related diseases.
Bill was also a lover of all things outdoors - fishing, hunting, skiing, motorcycle riding,
windsurfing, waterskiing, and camping. He used his engineering mind to fix almost anything
around the house, and claimed that nearly everything could be fixed using rubber surgical
tubing and duct tape.
Bill had a love of adventure, humor, politics, billiards, and could always be found near his
beloved dogs. He was preceded in death by his late wife Jan Fitzhugh (2012). He is survived by
his son, Jonathan Fitzhugh (wife Kirsten), by his daughter Kate Murphy (husband Derek), by his
5 grandchildren, and by his girlfriend Germaine Wentworth.
There will be a celebration of life in Twin Falls, Idaho at a later date. We will always carry Bill’s
memory in our hearts.
Twin Falls, Idaho. He was 73. Bill was a longtime resident of Twin Falls, and an
ophthalmologist who served the greater Magic Valley area from 1980 until his retirement in
2016.
Bill was born in Butte, Montana; the only child of Claude and Marie Fitzhugh. When Bill was in
middle school his father retired from his job as an electrician at Montana Power, and the family
moved to Kimberly, Idaho.
Bill was very active in athletics, especially basketball, football and track. Bill earned a full-ride
academic scholarship to the University of Idaho where he graduated with honors pre-med. After
college, he married his high school sweetheart, Janet Parish.
He then attended Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, where he graduated
with an MD, Magna Cum Laude. He and Jan had 2 children in Oregon before moving the family
back to Idaho. They settled in Twin Falls and Bill opened his private ophthalmology practice in
1980.
Bill earned many accolades in the medical world - he served as the president of the Idaho
Society of Ophthalmology (’86), chief of surgery (‘87) and president of medical staff (‘88) for the
Magic Valley Hospital. Bill opened the Sawtooth Surgery Center in 1998. He was a skilled
surgeon and saved the vision of many people in the area after accidental trauma. He truly loved
to keep up with the latest medical advancements and worked tirelessly to ensure that he was
familiar with all eye-related diseases.
Bill was also a lover of all things outdoors - fishing, hunting, skiing, motorcycle riding,
windsurfing, waterskiing, and camping. He used his engineering mind to fix almost anything
around the house, and claimed that nearly everything could be fixed using rubber surgical
tubing and duct tape.
Bill had a love of adventure, humor, politics, billiards, and could always be found near his
beloved dogs. He was preceded in death by his late wife Jan Fitzhugh (2012). He is survived by
his son, Jonathan Fitzhugh (wife Kirsten), by his daughter Kate Murphy (husband Derek), by his
5 grandchildren, and by his girlfriend Germaine Wentworth.
There will be a celebration of life in Twin Falls, Idaho at a later date. We will always carry Bill’s
memory in our hearts.