John Joseph Gerhardt

John Gerhardt\u0027s life was a remarkable example of how to live life to the fullest. He was born in Neu Sandez, Poland on April 20, 1920, to German immigrants and died on March 8 in Milwaukie, Oregon. He lived a rather idyllic childhood, but eventually was forced to serve in WWII. When the war ended, he moved to Graz, Austria, where he completed his medical degree, and in 1948 he proudly became Herr Doktor Hans (Johann) Gerhardt, fulfilling his life-long dream. While in Graz, he met his future wife, Greta Tatscher. They were married on June 21, 1947 and quickly became known as Hansl and Gretl. They had three children: Kurt (who died in infancy), Liz and Nick. Because the post-war situation in Europe was so difficult, he decided to move his family to Chicago, Illinois, where their arrival was marked by flags and fireworks - it was July 4, 1956. Most of their time in Illinois was spent in Prophetstown, where John was a family practice physician, complete with house calls to the surrounding farming community. In 1966, John and his family moved to Oregon, where he accepted a position at the VA Hospital in Portland. In 1971, he joined the Kaiser Permanente Healthcare system as Chief of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, an area of medicine in which he had always been interested and where he continued to be a pioneer in the field. He retired from there in 1991, but continued to work in private practice as a physician until 2003. While in Oregon, John also worked and taught at OHSU, did medical mission work in Honduras, worked the ER at Providence, was a consultant at the Shriner\u0027s Hospital for Children, founded an orthopedic measurement company called ISOMED, founded an animal measurement company called AMSI, developed a biofeedback device for amputees, founded a support group for amputees called OASES, and authored numerous books in various fields of medicine, some alone and others in collaboration with other outstanding physicians and educators. Even after he was officially retired he continued to publish and to give of his time and talents to help anyone in need of his advice or expertise. In addition to his professional life, John had many other talents, passions and interests. Rarely without at least one camera, he was an extremely avid photographer, always surprising friends with gifts of photos - often ones they never even knew he was taking. He dabbled in oil and watercolor painting, sculpting and drawing; he played guitar, piano, and the violin; he loved to travel and to experience other cultures; he participated in church activities, senior center activities, and the Silver Sneakers fitness program. His most recent musical enjoyment came from regularly playing bass guitar with the Oregon Old Time Fiddlers. He was lovingly referred to as the \u0026quot;Energizer Bunny.\u0026quot; John is survived by his wife of 67 years, Greta, who was always \u0026quot;the wind beneath his wings\u0026quot;; daughter Liz Iverson of Colton; son Nick Gerhardt (and Marci) of Kooskia, Idaho; grandson Justin Iverson of Portland; grand-daughter Katrina (Iverson) Brown of Denver, Colorado; three great-grandchildren and many, many wonderful friends. His family would like to extend their heart-felt gratitude for the loving care he received from Ioana and Florin at the Forever Young Adult Care Home. John touched many lives and all who knew him will remember his infectious smile, his compassionate heart, his love and service to others and that (sometimes mischievous) twinkle in his eyes. He will be forever missed. A memorial service to celebrate his life is scheduled for 2:30 PM on Saturday, March 15th at Milwaukie Lutheran Church, 3810 SE Lake Rd, Milwaukie, OR 97222. Reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall. Remembrances may be made to Milwaukie Lutheran Church, Doctors Without Borders, Hospice or by simply following his example of doing random acts of kindness for others. You may also visit the Peake Funeral Home website at www.peakefh.com for more information and to leave a personal message."",