James Robert Geyer

Dr. James R. Geyer was born March 27, 1928, in Hartley, Iowa, to Paul R. and Esther N. Geyer and was their only child.  He was a caring husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and doctor.  Jim passed away in the early hours of March 26, 2024, surrounded by his three daughters and son. 

Jim grew up during the Great Depression and World War II. He attended public schools in five states and graduated from Richmond Hills High School in Queens, a borough of New York City.  He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College in 1950.

 Jim married his college sweetheart from Oberlin College, Lael.  The two celebrated their 70^th anniversary in 2021. 

He received his MD from Northwestern University Medical School where he was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society.  After he graduated from medical school, he completed his residency in General Surgery at Passavant Memorial Hospital in Chicago.  From 1956 to 1958, he served as Captain in the US Army Medical Corps.  Beginning in 1959, he was Fellow in the Department of Urology at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

 The family relocated to Oklahoma City in 1962.  Jim practiced urology at Oklahoma City Clinic.  He then joined the University of Oklahoma's Medical School Faculty at the Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and served there from 1967 to 1993.  He was Residency Program Director for more than 15 years.  Jim was involved with the American Board of Urology, American Medical Association, and American Urological Association, American College of Surgeons, and the Oklahoma State Medical Association.  His research appears in JAMA, Journal of Urology, Diabetologia, Urology, and Military Medicine. Much of his research is widely cited today.

 Jim gave back to his community in many ways.  He served as a deacon and an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Oklahoma City.  He later became an elder at Covenant Presbyterian Church in The Village.  He was a Mobile Meals delivery driver and was known by his Epworth Villa neighbors for routinely [getting in trouble while] racing his “Harley Davidson”-stickered scooter through the halls.  He was a voracious reader of The Oklahoman and offered his opinions via “letters to the editor” numerous times.  He remarked often of the positive changes in Oklahoma City during his sixty-two years as a resident. A sports fan, he embraced the Oklahoma Sooners in all sports and held football season tickets for decades. (The seats remain in the family today.)  He enjoyed watching the PGA Tour and had a knack for identifying specific golfers who would ultimately win major championships. 

 Jim is preceded in death by his parents, wife Lael, and son-in-law Randy.

 Jim is survived by his children Laura, Janet, Barbara (Phil), and Paul (Sky); his eight grandchildren: Casey (Jack), Kylie (Bryan), Ryan (Fiancée Brooke), William (Cameron), Charles, Savannah (Austin), Bronwyn, and Stanton; his four great-grandchildren: Pete, Louise, Lael, and Amelia; as well as his nephews, their spouses, their children, and their grandchildren.

 In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to Covenant Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund at 10100 Ridgeview Drive, Oklahoma City, OK 73120. A Memorial Service is scheduled for May 30, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church with a live-stream at Epworth Villa’s Brill Chapel.  

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.  Psalm 116:15.