Dr. James Mead Gaunt

Dr. James Mead Gaunt, age 72, of Sedalia, MO, died Friday, July 29, 2022, at Riverbend Heights in Lexington, MO. A Celebration of Life will begin at 10:30 am on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at Speaks Buckner Chapel, 300 Adams Street, Buckner, MO, 64016, 816-650-5555. Inurnment will follow the celebration at Buckner Hill Cemetery, Buckner, MO. A visitation will begin on Saturday at the funeral chapel beginning at 10:00 am. Memorials may be made in Dr. Gaunt’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association https://bndfr.com/h4nPr
Online condolences may be expressed at www.speakschapel.com

James M. Gaunt graduated from Wyandotte High School in 1967 and attended the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy where he graduated in 1972. He was a pharmacist and worked for his uncle at McDaniels Pharmacy in Kansas City while he was attending medical school. He graduated from the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1979 and worked in Norborne, MO until he began his residency speciality training in Otolaryngology at Oklahoma Osteopathic Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Following completion of his residency, he accepted a fellowship position in Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery with Dr. Richard Webster in Boston, MA.

In 1985 he began private practice in Sedalia, MO where he remained in practice until his retirement in 2013. He was board certified and received fellowship certification in Otolaryngology through the American Osteopathic Association and the American Osteopathic Colleges of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery (AOCOO-HNS). He also served as president of the AOCOO-HNS from 2001-2002. He was board certified and a fellow in the American Academy of Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. He was a member of the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology-HNS both nationally and at the local level in Missouri.

Over the years he received numerous professional awards and accolades. Outside of work he was a loving husband, father, and active community member. He was an active member of Broadway Presbyterian Church for many years and would frequently volunteer at the annual pancake breakfast every holiday season. He coached his son, James, in little league and participated in scouts with him as well. He loved the arts and found ways to support the arts both in his travels and at the local level. He also was a naturalist who enjoyed identifying local wildlife and birds of prey. Jim enjoyed recreational SCUBA diving and taking his family on adventurous vacations in the American west around Colorado and Arizona. He loved poetry, culture, and personal fitness but most of all he loved serving his friends and family in his community.

James will be forever cherished by his wife, Dr. Alice Ruttinger-Gaunt; two sons, Dr. James A. (Ashley) Gaunt, Dr. Joshua A. Gaunt; one granddaughter Evelyn; and three brothers, Darrell Gaunt, Gary A. (Cathy) Gaunt, Roger (Diana) Gaunt.

James is preceded in death by his parents, Everett and Vera Gaunt and brother, Michael J. Gaunt.