To the thousands of children who were his patients, Dr. Benjamin Gilmore was “Dr. Ben,” a caring physician who took the fear out of their doctor’s visits.
“Hi Dr. Ben. Hi Dr. Ben,” they’d shout and run to the gentle man, who would make them feel better.
Gilmore alleviated his young patients’ anxieties about visiting his office for a checkup while practicing kindness and compassion to connect with their parents.
“This can be a scary building for little kids,” said Dr. Bradey Kleman, who worked with Gilmore at Columbus Pediatrics Associates. “But they knew when Dr. Ben was in there, nothing bad would happen to them.”
Dr. Stephen Loheide, a founding partner at the practice, joked that Gilmore was so well-loved by his patients “that they’d refuse to see any us.”
“The kids loved him,” Loheide said. “He loved them right back.”
Colleagues remember Gilmore as a compassionate doctor and a loving and devoted father who was just as comfortable talking about fine wine as he was following NASCAR and cheering on the Colts.
Gilmore, 45, died Monday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Larry Fisher, Bartholomew County chief deputy coroner.
Deputies were called to the Lowell fishing site at Lowell Road and County Road 325W at 6:21 p.m. Monday and found Gilmore dead in his vehicle. Fisher said Gilmore likely died around 6:10 p.m. Monday.
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