He is a retired orthopedic surgeon and has helped countless numbers of patients over the span of his successful career. In addition to his work here, he made several trips to Russia where he brought medical supplies and taught surgical techniques to doctors there.
He loves music and learned to play classical guitar, violin and dabbled in the drums and piano. He has painted beautiful water color paintings. Years ago he was interested in sewing so he made a lined jacket with zipper and pockets! In his lifetime he has been a doctor, pilot, sailor, fisherman, musician, diver, runner, skier, tennis player, artist and author.
His book on shoulder pain (sold on Amazon) teaches how to heal and maintain the health of your shoulder and possibly avoid surgery. You only need to read the reviews to see that many people have been helped by John's work in this area.
His family all have memories of John sharing a quote, a poem or a line from a song... his mind so quick and the words always accessible. How could he remember all those beautiful lines? He'd stroll in while we were all sitting around the table and say, "listen to this..." and then read from a favorite book or quote something that was sure to make you think or touch your heart or make you laugh. We also have memories of his favorite music blasting from the stereo, filling the house (and the woods!) with Billy Joel, Elton John, Cecilia or whoever was his current obsession.
He designed and built the "bistro"; a boat family and friends have enjoyed for years where a group can sit, enjoy a drink and a bite to eat while listening to music and cruising down the river! His kids have memories of early morning fishing trips, camping adventures and road trips with their Dad. I have memories of the best salmon dinners I've ever eaten!
I remember John rousing us all from sleep many years ago, in the wee hours one very chilly morning to go outside and watch the meteor shower. No one but John wanted to get up at 2:00 a.m. but his enthusiasm couldn't be stopped. We threw on coats, grabbed mittens and hats and headed out to the sled hill behind the house laying on our backs looking up at the sky. That night we did see the meteorite shower and we also saw shooting stars and the magnificent northern lights.
John enjoyed bringing home a fresh Christmas tree that stood in the living room each year, the tree was always so tall that it had to be hoisted with a pulley and secured at the ceiling, ladders were needed to hang the lights and decorations. One year to surprise us when we came for Christmas he draped the tall pines surrounding the house with twinkle lights. In the summer he adorned the lawn and garden with giant pink flamingoes and huge butterflies that moved and twinkled at night.
It's a combination of so many things that make a house a home, establish childhood memories that are talked about and shared for generations and create a place where people want to gather together to celebrate and share all the seasons of life. Thank you, John, for creating magical memories for your family, for instilling a love of beauty and art and learning, and for contributing so much to the world with your medical knowledge and research. You are very loved.
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