Iowa native Dr. Jim Giles, who found his way to La Follette, passes

OAK RIDGE, TN (WLAF)- A man who touched countless lives through a 25-year medical practice in La Follette has died. Dr. James “Jim” Giles passed away last Thursday. “He was one of the finest doctors I ever worked with,” said retired nurse Michelle Lynch.

After graduating from the medical school of the University of Iowa in 1973, Giles served in the U-S Navy as a physician in Taiwan during the Vietnam War. Following his service in the Navy, the young doctor embarked on a new adventure serving the local community of La Follette as a family doctor for a little more than a quarter century.

“I asked Dr. Giles one time about his age, because he and Dr. Jim Farris were the same age. He said it was a state of mind. He said he knew his body was getting older, but in his mind, he still thought he was young,” said Lynch.

Drawn to the mountains, his impact on this  community still echoes. “He was a great mentor and an excellent teacher. He kept up with new ideas and procedures and trained the nurses over the years. He introduced us to cardiac output monitoring and had the hospital, La Follette Medical Center, order new equipment so we were able to do this. We also started doing arterial lines in the ICU after he came on board,” said Lynch.

During his time in La Follette, he met his wife  Donna, and at age 56, he was blessed with his first child, Andrew. Lynch adds that Dr. Giles told her that he and his wife bought matching sweatshirts that read “We are the parents, not the grandparents”.

Dr. Giles later  transitioned his practice to Oak Ridge to be closer to his  family where he eventually retired. 

A memorial service celebrating Dr. Giles exceptional life will be held on Thursday at 1:00 pm, at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge. The family will receive visitors at noon until the service.

Dr. James “Jim” Williams Giles was 82 years old. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-08/19/2026-6AM-PHOTO SUBMITTED)