Dr. Dar Santos Muceno

Dar S. Muceno (born Dominador Santos Nepomuceno, Jr.) died peacefully on July 13, 2024. He left behind the love of his life Nellie with whom he shared 60 years of marriage, three daughters (Noelle, Yvette, Mylene), a son (Michael), seven grandchildren (Ethan, Damon, Ben, Aaron, Dominic, Isabella and Sophie), sons-in-law James Niquet and Dr. Teodoro Keith Toledo, and dearest lifelong friend Patty DeWitt and her family members.

Being one of the first of his progeny to live in the United States, Dar established a great legacy for future generations by the example he set as a devout follower of Christ, a very hard working and caring physician, a loyalist to this country that welcomed him and his family, and a benevolent and loving patriarch and provider for his family.

Dar was committed to excellence his entire life. He believed nothing was worth doing unless it was the product of maximum effort and pursuit of perfection. As a man of God, he served as a lay minister for many years at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Shelbyville, Indiana and was very active in parishes where he lived including Marion, Indiana, Nashotah and Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He did medical mission work, returning to the Philippines to minister and heal people with very limited or no access to health care. He also worked as a volunteer physician in several free clinics, providing medical care to the indigent. Later in life, he and Nellie regularly participated in bible study and organized the rosary group and Eucharistic ministry at Abbotswood Senior Living Community.

Being a humble man, not many people knew that Dar was a product of the highest caliber academic education and medical training. He graduated from the University of Santo Thomas in the Philippines in 1961. He continued his education at the University of Pennsylvania School of Post Graduate School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1964, despite the challenges of being half the earth away from home and family and adjusting to a very different culture and language. He trained and obtained his fellowship in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at a world-renowned institution, the Cleveland Clinic in 1967. He also trained and obtained a specialty in geriatric medicine. Throughout his career, Dar maintained board certifications in all three specialties.

Returning to the Philippines with his family, he was employed by the US Veterans Hospital in late 1960s and early 1970s where he provided medical treatment to high ranking military and political leaders including then president Ferdinand Marcos and his wife Imelda. Just before martial law was instituted in the Philippines, he returned to the United States, taking a position with the prestigious Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. He relocated to Shelbyville, Indiana to work at the Inlow Clinic and Major Hospital. There, Dar quickly became a very beloved and highly respected physician, a pillar of the community. He was the quintessential small town doctor, taking good care of his patients in office and while making rounds in the hospital and the nursing homes, taking calls from patients at all hours of the day or night and weekends to ensure his patients were provided care. He always put the needs of others before his own. Providing good medical care and taking care of others were ways Dar ministered God’s word, and his patients were very fortunate to have received his attention, their lives better during and after the treatment he provided.

Dar was the best as a physician and was as amazing as a family man. Despite the fact that he grew up motherless and all but abandoned by his father to be raised by his grandmother, being a good husband and father were second nature to him. He was an exceptionally loving husband, father and provider. Selflessness, patience, kindness and utmost caring were characteristics he showed the family. Always, he put family first. He worked tirelessly to provide a secure and luxurious home for his family, more than enough food on the table and money for college and post-graduate educations and family reunions and vacations. Even though his work was demanding and stressful, he found time to be present at his kids’ recitals and games and school functions. All of his grandchildren were privileged to have spent time with him. He taught his grandsons how to play ping pong. He attended tennis matches and practices, baseball, volleyball and basketball games, birthday parties and school activities.

We celebrate the life that was Dar Muceno’s, a life driven by serving God in every aspect of his life. His love, concern and thoughtfulness of everyone around him and the generosity of his time, kindness and attention to others were the hallmark of his faith and belief in his purpose on this Earth. His goodness and kindness will be greatly missed by loved ones, dear friends, and former patients and colleagues, but his legacy will continue to inspire everyone who knew him.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1 pm on Friday, July 19, 2024 at St. Pius X Catholic Church, 2210 N Elm Street, Greensboro, NC. The family will receive friends prior to the service at St. Pius starting at 12:15 pm. A celebration of life memorial with reception will follow the mass at Abbotswood, Guilford Room on the second floor, 3504 Flint Street, Greensboro, NC from 3 to 4:30 pm.