BY KYLE CREAMER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN

WARFIELD — Martin County welcomed Dr. Bonifacio Aranas with open arms when he set up his medical practice in April 1977 in Warfield. In his retirement, the community recognized him as a beloved doctor, friend and neighbor, honoring him Saturday with a retirement celebration at Warfield Park.

The event was one of mixed emotions.

Counting to the day, Kathleen Price worked for Dr. Aranas for 44 years, three months and 11 days exactly, and she has “seen it all” throughout her time in the clinic.

Price recalled that Dr. Aranas’ clinic was flooded in 1977 immediately after he opened it. She said the doctor did not hesitate to roll up his sleeves and assist his community at such a time as the Flood of 1977.

“He volunteered at the school to help give tetanus injections,” Price said.

Grateful for her career, Price decided to get the community together to give Dr. Aranas the best possible retirement party.

“I didn’t want him to leave without letting him know what the community thought about him,” commented Price. “So I put the post on Facebook, and everybody jumped on board. We’ve really had a good community come together. They called in saying, ‘Can I bring food?’ and ‘What can I do?’ Dr. Aranas was their doctor for years. He’s really made an impression on the area.”

During the party, Warfield Mayor Michael Hinkle and City Clerk Rhonda Price awarded Dr. Aranas a key to the City of Warfield. Rhonda Price noted that this was the first key to the city awarded since she started working for the city in 2011.

Dr. Aranas recalled joining the community at a time when Martin County and the Warfield area lacked many things needed for proper medical care. During that time, he noted, people had to travel long distances for health-related emergency care.

“There was no ambulance,” Dr. Aranas said. “There were no paramedics, no medical technicians. In my office, I had my own X-ray machine, so I took care of patients and made a better way for them to get a cast and proper care.”

The doctor also made house calls and even went inside the coal mines to help his patients.

A close friend of Dr. Aranas, William Chapman of Lovely, said Dr. Aranas has been and always will be a credit to the community.

“He’s the salt of the earth and a credit to Martin County,” Chapman remarked. “It’s a blessed day that he’s been able to make it to retirement, but it’s a sad day for the community to lose such a great physician. He’s a friend of the community and I can’t say enough good about him.”

Dr. Aranas was born in 1943 in Cebu City, Philippines. He attended the Cebu Institute of Medicine in Cebu City and graduated in 1968. Before moving to Kentucky, he practiced general medicine and worked with surgeries in various states, including Maryland, Washington and West Virginia.

Dr. Aranas and his wife Belen raised their three daughters, Ethel, Eileen and Laura, and two sons, Bonifacio Jr. and Vincent, in nearby Beauty. There, the doctor is well-known for his hospitality and is especially famous for his roasted pig, which he made on many special occasions for his friends and neighbors.