Dr. Noel Nellis graduated from the University of Utah, School of Medicine in 1960 and became an intern at the University of Utah. He moved to Colorado for his surgical residency and returned to the University of Utah to complete his Thoracic Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Nellis was drafted for the Vietnam War in 1965 serving in Fairbanks, Alaska.
When Dr. Nellis was young, he was a Cub Scout with Spencer Eccles. He loves to ski and was involved in Utah ski patrols. He has passed his passion for skiing to his children who are expert skiers.
He helped start the open heart program in Ogden, Utah with Dr. Ralph McFarland then moved to Ohio to establish the same program. He was called to air force reserve active duty when Desert Storm began and was stationed in Langley, VA where he was Chief of Surgery. He was also Chief of Surgery at the VA in Dublin, GA and a Professor at Mercer University in Macon, GA.
Dr. Nellis retired and returned to Utah in 2005 when the LDS church called him to be medical advisor for Utah in which he served for 12 years. He was appointed as a Sealer in the Atlanta, Georgia LDS temple and also the Ogden temple. He has greatly enjoyed these opportunities.
Dr. Nellis has four children, one who is autistic who died last October. He and his wife were diagnosed with COVID in December and sadly his wife passed away from COVID complications in December 2020. Dr. Nellis has served in the Air Force and Air Force reserve in South and Central America, Europe and the Caribbean.
Dr. Nellis says his children and grandchildren are his greatest achievement.
When asked what he misses most about being a surgeon, Dr. Nellis said the opportunity to make things better with techniques and fix issues. He was always grateful to see families and patients recover when they could have died. The comradery and still knowing people that he used to work with. Dr. Nellis hopes that in some small way he did some good.
He has a white golden retriever named Pearl whom he likes to walk 4 miles every day. After his walk he enjoys a 5-mile bike ride.
On one of his walks, early in retirement, he met a former patient who told him he had saved her life 40 years ago. Obviously, this points to the good in which Dr. Nellis contributed.