Remembering: Stan Truhlsen Jr.

Clockwise from left, Stanley M. Truhlsen, M.D., son Bill Truhlsen, son Stan Truhlsen Jr., and wife Dorothy Truhlsen at the opening of the Truhlsen Skywalk earlier this year.

Stanley Truhlsen Jr., a UNMC benefactor and son of distinguished ophthalmologist Stanley M. Truhlsen, M.D., died Nov. 19 at age 67 after a 16-month battle with cancer.

Services will be held on Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Heafey Hoffman Dworak and Cutler at 7805 W. Center Rd. Information on a memorial fund is pending.

Truhlsen Jr. was a staunch supporter of the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute, which opened in 2013 and was named for his father, the Wiegel-Williamson Center for Visual Rehabilitation, which opened in 2008, and other efforts in ophthalmologic care and research at UNMC. He also served as a trustee for the University of Nebraska Foundation. For his financial support, a work room for residents in the Truhlsen Eye Institute is named in his honor.

“He was generous and considerate and he always held the medical center in high esteem,” said Stan Truhlsen, M.D., of his son. “I was proud of him that he did that. I never asked him to.”

“Stan Jr. was really proud of his dad and all he accomplished,” said Ronald Krueger, M.D., the newly named chair of the UNMC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and director of the Truhlsen Eye Institute. “When the Truhlsen Eye Institute was put together, Stan Jr. wanted to support every part of his dad’s legacy. He too became a supporter and philanthropist of the institute. He is going to be sorely missed.”

Truhlsen Jr. enjoyed a 21-year career as a professional golfer, beginning in 1973 when he enrolled in the apprentice program of the PGA of America as an assistant golf professional at the Sioux City Country Club in Iowa. He went on to work at Riverside Golf Club in Grand Island, Neb., and Lakeshore Country Club in Council Bluffs, Iowa, before becoming a “Class A” member of the PGA of America in 1977. Stan completed his golfing career at Tenison Park Golf Course in Dallas and returned to Omaha, where he then worked at Matrix Telemarketing Services.

3 comments

  1. Carol Russell says:

    Stan and Dottie,
    So sorry for your loss.
    Carol and Rick Russell

  2. James Gigantelli, MD says:

    We, at the Truhlsen Eye Institute, mourn the passing of one of our strongest advocates and a true gentleman. Stanley Truhlsen Jr. was a faithful supporter of our department’s global missions, and a true champion of ophthalmic graduate medical education. His interest and generosity toward advancing technology and medical education promoted the development of our Ophthalmic Surgical and Diagnostic Simulation Center which bears Stan Jr.’s name. This Center is the home where UNMC ophthalmologists-in-training begin their journey toward acquiring the cognitive reflexes and technical skills that lead to a life-long career as sight-saving ophthalmic surgeons. Stan Truhlsen, Jr. will be dearly missed, but his inspiration and impact will be forever enduring.

  3. Gerald Christensen says:

    I cannot Thank Stan Jr enough for all of his support of the Truhlsen Institute and especially for his generous support of the Weigal Williamson Low Vision facility.
    Gerald Christensen, MD

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