Dr. Lonnie T. Scarborough, 75, passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Savannah, Georgia, on August 8, 2026.

He is survived by his loving wife, Tina; his son, Greg (Helaine); his daughter, Christina (David); and his four grandchildren, Azure, Ayla, Wolfie, and Felix. He is also survived by his sister, Joanne Engel; his nieces, Ansley Owens (Christian) and Candi Campbell; as well as other family members who loved him dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents, Lonnie and Lucy Scarborough.

Dr. Scarborough was born and raised in East Point, Georgia, and attended Georgia Military Academy, now Woodward Academy. He graduated from Emory University and Emory University School of Medicine and completed his psychiatry residency at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut. He began his career as a psychiatrist at the VA hospital in Atlanta before entering private practice in 1982. He later served as director of Charter Brook Hospital, an adolescent drug addiction treatment center in Atlanta. Eventually, Lonnie and the love of his life, Tina, moved to Savannah to be near the ocean they both loved. There, he established his Savannah practice, where he cared for his patients for over a decade, alongside his beloved office manager, Roxanne Schaus.

As a psychiatrist, Dr. Scarborough was deeply committed to his patients, many of whom he cared for over the course of decades. He understood that psychiatry was about far more than treating mental health symptoms. It was about listening, understanding, and being present when people needed it most. His sudden passing leaves a profound void not only in the lives of his family and friends, but also among his colleagues and the many patients whose lives he touched through his work.

To his family and friends, Lonnie was known for his integrity, keen intellect, dry humor, and insatiable curiosity. He loved golf, art, architecture, the ocean, and whatever happened to be the latest streaming movie. He was a lifelong learner, who, when something captured his interest, immersed himself in it completely.

Perhaps nowhere was that curiosity more evident than in his fascination with holography. Lonnie didn’t simply read about it - he built a small holography studio in his basement and taught himself to make holograms. In the 1990s, he went on to open a holographic studio at the Tula Arts Center in Atlanta. He had the mind of both a physician and an artist, and in another life might very well have become an architect.

Lonnie's life was marked by intellectual curiosity, dedication to his patients, love for his family, and an enduring desire to understand the world around him. He will be deeply missed by the family who loved him, the friends who knew him well, the colleagues who respected him, and the generations of patients who trusted him with their care.

A memorial service honoring the life of Dr. Lonnie Scarborough will be held on Saturday, August 15th at 1:30 p.m. at Fox & Weeks Hodgson Chapel, 7200 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Savannah, Georgia. 

Following the service, the family welcomes Dr. Scarborough’s loved ones to join them for a reception at his office, located at 315 Commercial Drive, Suite C-3, Savannah, Georgia.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites those who wish to honor Dr. Scarborough’s life and legacy to make a contribution to the Dr. Lonnie Scarborough Mental Health & Recovery Memorial Fund. Throughout his career, Dr. Scarborough dedicated himself to helping individuals and families affected by mental illness and addiction. Contributions to the memorial fund will help carry forward his commitment to mental health, recovery, and helping others.