L. Lyndon Key

Dr. L. Lyndon Key, Jr. died November 29, 2015 after a long, dignified, and courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease. Lyndon was born July 13, 1952 in Hickory, NC to Lester L. Key and Vivian Rebecca Abernethy Key. Lyndon prioritized his life to praise God, care for his family, and work as a pediatrician. He was a devout Christian and a very gentle man who adored and was adored by his family. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Dr. Janice Dixon Key, his children, Rebecca (Matthew) Johnson and Emily (Christopher) Davis, and grandchildren, Kenneth and Mary Lou Johnson, all of Charleston. Other family includes his brother, Dr. Ronald (Janet) Key of Hickory, NC, his sister, Sarah (Curtis) Clark of Chapel Hill, NC, and father-in-law, Charles Dixon, of Hickory, NC, as well as a loving circle of extended family and dear friends.

Lyndon graduated from Hickory High School in 1970 as valedictorian. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts in English with highest honors and academic distinction (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1973 and an MD (Alpha Omega Alpha) in 1977. He completed his pediatric residency at Duke University and his endocrinology fellowship at Harvard Boston Children's Hospital. After faculty appointments at Boston Children's Hospital and Wake Forest University, Lyndon joined the faculty at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 1991 as the Division Director of Pediatric Endocrinology and as the Director of the MUSC General Clinical Research Center. He was honored to serve as the Chairman of Pediatrics from 2001-2009 and was named a Distinguished Professor in 2010. Lyndon was a gifted clinician, researcher, and teacher. His research focused on pediatric bone disease and vitamin D, and over the course of his career he authored 85 journal articles regarding these subjects. His many professional honors include being named to Best Doctors of America, the William Weston Award, the SC Academy of Pediatrics Career Achievement Award and special recognition by the Paget Society and the Osteopetrosis Society.

Lyndon was a man of many interests and talents. He was an active member of First (Scots) Presbyterian Church where he sang as a baritone in the Kirk Choir from 1996-2014. He performed with his daughters in several plays at Dock Street Theatre, he held a pizza eating record at the University of North Carolina and a rollerblading record at Camp Thunderbird, he authored a country music song, he was a great slalom water-skier, and he was the inaugural Key Family Athlete of the Decade. He loved fishing with his friends in Canada, laughing at clever puns, singing old hymns, eliciting smiles from countless babies with playful games of peek-a-boo, cheering for the Boston Red Sox, and savoring the glass-like water of early morning water-skiing with family at Lake Hickory. He most especially enjoyed playing with his beloved grandchildren.

In the last years of his life, Lyndon and Jan benefited greatly from the unfailing love of many devoted family members and friends, the Christian love of the First (Scots) Presbyterian church family and Stephen Ministry, the support of Respite Care of Charleston, the medical care of Dr. Don Fox, and the compassionate care Lyndon received at the Villages at Summerville, especially from the staff in the Pride Unit and by Dr. Russ Blackwelder.

Private Inurnment will be at Magnolia Cemetery, followed by a Memorial Service on Saturday, December 5, 2015 in First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, 53 Meeting St., Charleston, at 1:00 p.m. A reception will be held in the First (Scots) Fellowship Hall after the service. Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR INC., WEST ASHLEY CHAPEL, 3360 Glenn McConnell Parkway.

Donations in honor of Dr. Lyndon Key may be made to First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, 53 Meeting St., Charleston SC 29401; the MUSC Children's' Hospital Fund, 59 Bee St. MSC 201, Charleston SC 29425-2010; Respite Care Charleston, 405 King St., Charleston SC 29403, or Presbyterian Communities of SC, 2917 Ashland Rd., Columbia SC 29210.