John Barry McCraw

John Barry McCraw, MD, 83, of Williamsburg, VA, died after a long illness. He was buoyed by the compassionate care of his wife of 62 years, Cynthia, “the love of my life, the angel on my shoulder, and my constant friend and companion,” as John called her. He was preceded in death by his father Doyle McCraw, MD, a physician-surgeon, his mother Nancy Barry McCraw, a history and Latin teacher, and his brother, Doyle, Jr., “Mackie.”

John is survived by his wife, Cynthia Richards McCraw, their children, Sarah McCraw and Peter Crow of Canterbury, NH, Carrie and Karl Higgins of Leesburg, VA, John Andrew and Amy Spence McCraw of Virginia Beach, VA, and grandchildren Jack, Beatrice, and Alice Crow; Marshall and Spencer McCraw, and Owen and Ryan Higgins. Known as Dingding to his grandchildren, John was a devoted granddad, always interested in his grandchildren’s dreams and plans. He is also survived by sisters Virginia Moran, of Charleston, SC, and Marcia Hartley, of Wayland, MA, many nieces and nephews, and many beloved friends.

John grew up in the small Ozark town of Bolivar, MO, and was a proud Eagle Scout, quarterback for the Bolivar High School Liberators, and avid golfer and water-skier. He attended college and medical school at the University of Missouri, where he learned surgical research techniques from Dr. Hugh E. Stephenson, and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha honor society. John interned at the University of Virginia, and trained in orthopedic surgery at Duke University before opting for plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Florida and Emory University. After medical training, John served at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, as the Chief of Surgery during the Vietnam War, and as Consultant to the Surgeon General of the Air Force for ten years.

John was a professor of plastic surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School and the University of Mississippi, retiring as Professor Emeritus; one of his greatest joys over the decades was mentoring residents and fellows. He was honored by several surgical societies, including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the British Association of Plastic Surgery, and the American Association of Plastic Surgery, which elected him president.

Internationally recognized for his innovation of the “island myocutaneous flap” which revolutionized the reconstruction of cancer defects of the face and neck, breast, chest and abdomen, and pelvis, and traumatic defects in the extremities, John made 700 presentations before medical and surgical groups, and contributed more than 200 journal articles, chapters, and textbooks. With colleague P.G. Arnold, he chaired the Norfolk Dissection Workshop, which brought hundreds of surgeons to Norfolk to train surgeons in the use of myocutaneous flaps. Today, these flaps are used in virtually every major teaching hospital in the world. The American College of Surgery honored the island myocutaneous flap as one of the twelve major surgical achievements of the twentieth century.

More recently, John was an active member of the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church and the Sons of the American Revolution, honoring his original Virginia ancestor, William Maccraw, who settled on the James River in present-day Goochland County, VA, around 1710. John also took and taught classes at Osher Institute at William and Mary, including teaching the history of American wartime surgery. A lifelong learner and reader, John annotated his books until the very end of his life, always wanting to learn more. John and his family would like to thank his doctors and nurses, especially the hospice nurses at Amedysis. In place of flowers, John and family have asked for donations to the University of Missouri Medical School scholarship fund (https://mizzougivedirect.missouri.edu/fund.aspx?item_id=191).

A service will take place at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church at 2:00 PM on October 21.