Flemming Fuller Royal

March 24, 1934 – October 11, 2023

Flemming Fuller Royal, MD, HMD (Dad), passed away peacefully at his Las Vegas home on October 11, 2023, surrounded by family. Dad, known to most as Dr. Royal, was a brilliant physician who dedicated himself to healing the afflicted for most of his adult life. He was stricken with severe dementia in his final years and could not recall anything about his family, his circumstances, or his life. Yet, the moment Dad left mortality, his memory was immediately restored and he once again knew his family, and his wonderful life experiences shared with family, friends, patients, neighbors, and even strangers were fully recalled. Most importantly - Dad knew once again that he is a precious child of God, and a devout follower of Jesus Christ who desperately desires to lead us all safely back to our Heavenly Home.

Dad’s beautiful spouse, Madge Marie (Snipes) Royal, preceded him in death on May 8, 2015. Dad is survived by his four children: Daniel Royal, Michael Royal (wife Maralea), Allison Olson (husband Greg) and Kimberly Royal, 17 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren. Dad, the son of Ferd Fuller and Cladie Malcolm (Maxwell) Royal, was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings Cladie Christine, Gerald Pittman, and John Maxwell, his wife, Marie, his grandson, McKay Daniel Royal, and daughter-in-law, Cheryl Marie (Orhn) Royal.

When Dad was born, he received the first name of Flemming based on the suggestion of his sister Christina to name him after the richest man in Sampson County, NC. Dad received his father’s middle name of Fuller. (Dad went by his middle name, which came in handy at the dinner table, as whenever someone would pronounced that they were “full,” Dad would respond: “I’m Fuller.”)

Growing up in humble circumstances in the North Carolina country, Dad became rich in a multitude of ways during his childhood. As a young boy on the farm, Dad’s best friend was a family dairy cow named Flossie, who always came to him immediately from anywhere on the property at the sound of his voice calling her. Upon arrival, Flossie would obediently dip her head for Dad as a small boy to attach a leash and guide her back home. Dad’s family later moved from the family farm to the small town of Clinton, NC, with a population of around 2,500. Sadly, Dad’s family left Flossie behind, which was challenging for a young boy with a heart filled with love for his best friend. (Dad never forgot Flossie.)

Dad graduated from Clinton High School (Clinton, NC) in 1952, where he excelled in football and basketball, and served as student body president his senior year. Dad was awarded a scholarship and enrolled at Wake Forest College in 1952 with a desire to one day become a physician. During his freshman year of college, Dad played on the Wake Forest football team for a few days, but then quit after deciding he did not have the time, fearing it would distract too much from his academic objectives. That same year, Dad made the college basketball team, but once again his drive to compete in sports was superseded by his desire to excel in academics.

Dad worked as a caddy on a local golf course in Wake Forest, NC, and became very good at the game. (There was one particular Wake Forest school-mate who Dad thought would not amount to anything because all he did was play golf. His name was Arnold Palmer.) Dad had magical summers working at mountain resort with friends during his college years - something he often spoke of with great fondness. Dad earned his bachelor’s degree in 1956 and obtained his medical degree in 1960 from the Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest.

At the beginning of Dad’s second year of medical school, he saw a beautiful first-year nursing student from Clayton, NC, sitting in the cafeteria by a classmate’s girlfriend. Dad asked his classmate for an introduction and then met Marie (“Mom”). They both described that first meeting as: “Love at first sight.” Our parents married on July 28, 1957 at the First Baptist Church in Clayton, NC. Dad wrote the following about Mom in his personal journal on December 14, 1957, less than five months into their marriage:

Marie, you have made me very happy in my new married life. I shall always love and adore you as long as I live. God certainly has blessed me richly. How can I ever repay Him for giving me such a wonderful wife? Everything that I ever am, you, Marie, will be what made me that.

Those sweet, heartfelt, poetic, and prophetic words remained true nearly 66 years later to the day of Dad’s passing.

Dad had a fun personality and loved life. He acquired a reputation as a prankster in his youth that earned him the nickname: “Dirty Dan” (and that well-earned reputation followed him to college - and beyond). So, Mom and Dad’s first born son naturally received the name of Daniel Fuller.

Dad joined the United States Air Force to get through medical school. He received training in aerospace medicine at Brooks AFB, San Antonio, TX, and was a flight surgeon with the United States Air Force from 1960– 64. (Son Michael was born at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX 13 months after Danny’s arrival.) From 1964 – 80, Dad had a general family medical practice in Eugene, OR. (Daughters Allison and Kimberly were born during this time.) The Royal family loved their life in Eugene, OR and their many friends in the Santa Clara II Ward, Eugene Stake, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with amazing neighbors, patients, and coworkers who so richly blessed them. Dad moved his family to Las Vegas, NV in 1980 and was one of the founders of The Nevada Clinic of Preventative Medicine, where he served as medical director for decades.

Dad was appointed to the Nevada Advisory Committee for Homeopathic Medicine, Board of Medical Examiners, from 1981–84, and served as a member of the Board of Homeopathic Medical Examiners for the State of Nevada from 1983–86; 1991-2009. He served as president, vice president, and secretary-treasurer while a member the Board. Dad served as a member of the Manuscript Review Committee (Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States), as a faculty member of the British Institute of Homeopathy (USA), a faculty member of Curentur University in California, and has been a participant in Bio-Energetic Research Conferences in London (England), Kaiserslautern (West Germany), and Temple University (Pennsylvania). Dad served as a member of the Editorial Board of the Frontier Perspectives Journal (The Center for Frontier Sciences at Temple University).

Dad is the author of the Physician’s Electrodiagnostic Handbook, the only book on electrodiagnosis written by an American, and has published several articles in medical journals on the subjects of homeopathy, acupuncture, electrodermal testing, and energy medicine. He presented lectures on these subjects to physicians in England, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia, as well as the United States.

While Dad’s accomplishments in the field of medicine were amazing and wonderful, his greatest triumph and legacy was the family he and Mom so carefully and lovingly nurtured. Our parents became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in March of 1963. They were not initially very active. In fact, they stopped attending altogether for several years. However, after moving to Eugene, OR, our family was blessed to be embraced by a multitude of loving souls within the Santa Clara II Ward who served as sweet ministering angels. As a direct result, our family was sealed in the Oakland Temple on June 21, 1969, surrounded by many of our loving friends from the Santa Clara II Ward. Dad had a burning testimony of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His wonderful plan of salvation and exaltation. He loved teaching the gospel and testifying of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and His saving power. The Royal family home was a place where love was spoken freely, where the spirit of God was cultivated, and where the gospel was frequently discussed and taught. Mom and Dad walked through life in faith, together leading their family to bask in the light of Christ. Dad was greatly loved and admired by many of those for whom he worked diligently to heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

During an emotional moment in November 2013, while Mom and Dad were serving as Elder and Sister Royal in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission, Dad woke up in the early morning hours weeping after a poignant dream as he considered all of the blessings showered upon him in life, beginning with his eternal family and friends. Dad then expressed deep gratitude to Mom for so faithfully and lovingly walking through mortality with him. They were truly an amazing team. Dad deeply mourned Mom’s passing on May 8, 2015. Living without her was his greatest challenge in life. They have finally reunited on the other side of the veil and are now busily preparing a place for their eternal family. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for all they did on earth to show us the way back to our Heavenly Home.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, October 30, 2023, at the Topaz building of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located on 2701 E Pebble Rd, Henderson, NV 89074, at 11:00 am. A viewing will be held at the same location from 9:30 am to 10:45 am. The interment will be held at 1:00 pm at Palm Eastern, located at 7600 South Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89123. The service will be broadcast via the following link:

https://zoom.us/j/97896240438.

A memory book is being compiled and comments can be provided at the following link: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/11494309

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints general missionary fund to help support the full time missionary effort. Donations can be made online at: https://www.ldsphilanthropies.org/missionary.html.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmeastern.com for the Royal family.