Dr. Eugene C Eiland

Dr. Eugene Carlson Eiland, an Emergency Medicine Physician from Nashville, Tennessee, went to eternal rest on September 11, 2023, surrounded by his loving family.

Dr. Eiland was a caring physician and lifelong learner who believed strongly in serving others. One of the happiest moments of his life was when he became a father. He was the father to Eugene Carlson Eiland, III, and Kennedy Elizabeth Eiland of Nashville, Tennessee.

Eugene was born on September 9, 1980, in Jackson, Mississippi. He was the third of four children. Originally from the Rockport and Highpoint, Mississippi communities, his parents, Carl and Bobbie Eiland, settled in Durant, Mississippi, where Eugene would be raised with his siblings.

Eugene accepted Christ early in life and joined John Wesley United Methodist Church in Durant, Mississippi. As time progressed, he later reaffirmed his faith and joined Fairfield Missionary Baptist Church in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Eugene was educated in the Holmes County School District. He attended Williams-Sullivan High School, where he graduated as Valedictorian at the top of his class. After high school, he attended Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he would be initiated into Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., as his father had before him at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

After college, Eugene attended medical school at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine. It was here that he would discover his love for emergency medicine. He graduated from medical school in 2011 and was accepted into the Emergency Medical Residency Program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Eugene completed his residency in 2014 and earned the post of Chief Resident the following year… a burgeoning sign of the leadership qualities many would learn of later in his life. After ending his term as Chief Resident, Eugene went on to work as Staff Physician and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt before moving on to other destinations such as Cookeville Regional Medical Center in Cookeville, Tennessee, and The University of Tennessee’s Regional One Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee.

In April of 2015, Eugene joined the James A. Myers #349 PHA Masonic Lodge. As a Freemason, he was elected Past Master, Past Potentate of Hella Temple 105, Grand Medical Director for MW PHA of the State of Tennessee, and 33^rd Degree Mason in the J. A. Henry Consistory. Eugene left an indelible mark on Freemasonry in Tennessee and faithfully served the fraternity until his death.

In his spare time, Eugene was an avid golfer, loved to read, and enjoyed spending as much time as possible with friends and with his family at the beach in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Eugene was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Bobbie Eiland. He is survived by his children, Eugene III and Kennedy Eiland of Nashville, Tennessee; his former spouse, Elosha Johnson, of Nashville, Tennessee; dear sisters Ida Michele (Anthony) of Memphis, Tennessee, Kathryn of Austin, Texas, and beloved brother Robert (Melanie) of Brandon, Mississippi. Nephews also survive him: Anthony Lyles II of Johnson City, Tennessee, Avonte' Lyles of Memphis, Tennessee; nieces, Olivia and Emery Eiland of Brandon, Mississippi; a dear cousin, Christopher Brown of Atlanta, Georgia; and a great nephew, Ayden Lyles of Johnson City, Tennessee, as well as a host of cousins and loving friends.