Dr. Thurman Mott, Jr.

Dr. Thurman Mott, Jr., M.D.

Dr. Thurman Mott, Jr., 85, passed away on July 15, 2013 at his home near Ijamsville, MD.   He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Lorraine Droneburg Mott, whom he married on February 12, 1948.

Born on November 15, 1927 in Middlebury, Indiana, he was the son of the late Thurman and Faye Mott and was the youngest of 6 children; 4 brothers (David, Owen, Kenneth, and Raymond) and 1 sister (Helen), all of whom have preceded him in death.

Thurman grew up and attended high school in Middlebury, Indiana.  He attended Purdue University before serving in the US Navy, where he was stationed at Ft. Detrick. During this time he met and married his wife, Lorraine, and following an honorable discharge from the Navy, the newlyweds moved to Chicago where Thurman would attend medical school. He graduated from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in 1957, interned in Hudson, NY and completed his residency in Psychiatry at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas in 1958.

Dr. Mott was a privately practicing psychiatrist in Frederick for many years, during which time he served as Chief of Staff at Frederick Memorial Hospital, and Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene for the State of Maryland.  In 1970 he accepted a position as Professor at the University of Maryland Medical School in Baltimore, where he also served as Supervisor of Mental Health Services, and was Director of Clinical Hypnosis, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Medical Hypnosis. After his retirement, he continued private practice in the Frederick area and served many years as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis. He was also a long- standing member of the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Psychiatric Association and was recognized as a leader in the field of clinical hypnosis.

Thurman was an avid tennis player and continued to play until his early 80’s. He was also an accomplished photographer who enjoyed developing and printing his own photographs and recently became interested in photographing wildflowers, creating his own webpage of wildflower images. Thurman loved music, and in his later years became an enthusiastic fan of the performances of Andre Rieu. He and Lorraine shared their love of music, and enjoyed listening to music and dancing together for many years. Thurman was also an electronics enthusiast, who right up until his death was proficient in the latest computer and communications technology.

Thurman was a loving and devoted father to his three children; Keith Mott (and wife, Liz) of Logan, Utah, Teresa Potterton (and husband, Bill) of Mt. Airy, Kendall Mott (and wife, Beth) of Dickerson, and loving grandfather to nine grandchildren; Kenny, Daniel, Ryan, Lauren, Matt, Brieanna, Jessica, Spencer and Kirsten; as well as three great-grandchildren. Thurm will also be fondly remembered by his wonderful neighbors of many years, including the Mitchell/Russell family and the Cooley family.

A member of the United Methodist Church for most of his life, in his later years he became a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Rev. Ron Crawford, former minister of the church and longtime personal friend of Thurman’s, will officiate at the funeral which will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, July 22, at Stauffer Funeral Home, 1621 Oposumtown Pike in Frederick.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org/donate .

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