Dr. Emerson Baugh Jr.— who began his practice in Kenbridge in 1955 — is being remembered by the community as a man who always kept things lighthearted.

“He had so much humor with the medicine and all,” said Linda Walker, who worked with Baugh. “You’d go in there feeling kind of bad, but by the time you left you were uplifted by something he would say or do.”

Walker said working in his office was always fun.

“Every day you went to work you laughed,” Walker said. “There was never a day that was boring or uneventful or anything. There was always something going on to make you laugh or whatever.”

Deborah Craven, who worked for Baugh for about 20 years, said he taught her more than any of her nursing school instructors did.

“He never charged a minister; he always treated a minister and their families for free,” Craven said.

She said it was always a good time to go to work for Baugh.

“You knew that when you went (in) it was going to be a good day because he always made jokes about things and kept everything light hearted,” Craven said. “There was hardly a cross word ever spoken between any of us who worked there.”

Craven said she didn’t know of anybody that Baugh didn’t have a kind word to say to when they came into the office.

Dr. Lewis W. Bridgforth, who operated a practice in Victoria, said he and Baugh would always look after each other’s patients.

“He’d call me on Friday and I’d call him on next Friday,” Bridgforth said. “We were off on the weekends and I’d take care of his patients… and he’d take care of mine.”

Bridgforth said it worked that way so their patients were covered.

“He did a good job — he did a very good job,” Bridgforth said regarding Baugh.

According to Baugh’s obituary, he was born in Lawrenceville on July 2, 1929. He attended Berea College in Berea, Kentucky and graduated from the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine.

He began his solo practice of medicine in Kenbridge in 1955, where the obituary cited he practiced for nearly 50 years.

Baugh also served on the board of directors for Lunenburg Health Services since 1956.