HINTON — A Weatherford man who saw local patients at Watonga's Mercy Clinic died unexpectedly on Tuesday when his vehicle left the road between Hinton and Geary.
Garry T. Bull was 43 years old and had been practicing in Watonga since April 2021.
According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Bull was driving a Honda CRV east on US-281 around 7:15 a.m. when the wreck occurred. Bull struck standing water and lost control of the vehicle, officials said, sliding off the north side of the road and striking the end of a bridge rail.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
In an email, a Mercy Clinic spokeswoman confirmed Bull's death to the Watonga Republican. She shared an internal communication, sent to Mercy staffers Tuesday, that was authored by Mercy Clinic Oklahoma president Dr. Jesse Campbell.
"Dr. Bull was passionate about rural health and advocated at the U.S. Capitol for funding more rural residency programs," Campbell told Mercy co-workers. "He loved serving families in small towns across the state for the last nine years."
Bull was a veteran of the U.S. Navy and the Oklahoma National Guard who attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University and, later, Oklahoma State University for medical school.
A man of deep faith, Bull told the Watonga Republican last year that he believed in holistic care for his patients. "I’m a Christian physician. I believe that in order to treat people, you have to think about their mind, their spirit and their body,” he said at the time. He also expressed a deep passion for improving rural health.
"I refuse to leave western Oklahoma," he said. "People out here need care, and this is my home."
Bull leaves behind a wife and two young daughters, Campbell said, who loved going on family camping trips together.
"We are devastated for his family," he wrote, "and ask you to join us in praying for them and his colleagues in Watonga."