Former chairman of St. Vincent’s Department of Orthopedics in Indianapolis and past president of the Indiana Orthopedic Society, Dr. Thomas Frank Trainer, passed away on July 29, 2022.
Trainer’s 42-year career encompassed virtually every phase in the development of modern orthopedics. Dr. Trainer earned his medical degree from Indiana University in Bloomington in 1966. His internship was at Providence Hospital in Portland, Oregon, in 1967 and he was accepted into the residency program at West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1968.
Trainer’s career was spent primarily with the St. Vincent Hospital system—one of the larger national health systems with 143 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities in 19 states and the District of Columbia.
Dr. Trainer was awarded the most prestigious physician award by St. Vincent Hospitals. He also served as chairman of the St. Vincent Indianapolis Orthopedic Surgery Department for many years. Dr. Trainer was an active member of the Indiana Orthopedic Society and was, for a term, the society’s president.
Dr. Trainer was born to Frank and Blanche Trainer in Evansville, Indiana in 1940. He grew up in Evansville, Indiana, where he attended Evansville Reitz High School. He played football there and also at Indiana University in Bloomington where he received his bachelor’s and medical degrees.
Trainer was a member of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. His faith was important to him. He also enjoyed the theatre world and was a member of The Lamb’s Club, a professional theatric club first started in New York City, and the Player’s Club, the oldest continuously operating community theatre organization in Marion County. He was also a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon in Indianapolis.
He had one sister, Diane Meyer of Evansville, Indiana. He leaves behind his wife Jenny Trainer and his two children Todd Rush and Allison Trainer. His family said he always cared about his family more than anything.
