Dr. John Stewart Goetcheus, 73, died Nov. 19 in Boca Grande, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
A musical celebration of his life is planned for a later date as music was always his passion. In high school, he played the French horn; at DePauw he studied voice and sang with the "Collegians;" he sang in church choirs in Essex and Boca Grande; performed in theatrical productions; and was a member of the Barbershop Chorus.
He and his wife, Jan, lived active lives in the Boca Grande community. He chaired of the Development Committee that raised money and built the new Boca Grande United Methodist Church and was treasurer for five years on the Friends of the Boca Grande Community Center Board.
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Dr. John Stewart Goetcheus
Goetcheus grew up in Dayton, Ohio, where he graduated from Fairmont High School as class valedictorian. An Eagle Scout, he earned the God and Country Award. He attended DePauw University where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity.
He attended Western Reserve School of Medicine and interned at University Hospitals of Cleveland as well as his first year of surgical residency before being called for military duty. A captain in the U.S. Air Force, Goetcheus served as chief of Air Force Clinics at Edward Air Force Base in California.
He completed his orthopedic residency at Yale University and helped build the Wildwood Medical Center in Essex, Conn., in 1970 with a partner. The business attracted specialists to practice at Middlesex Memorial Hospital.
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A musical celebration of his life is planned for a later date as music was always his passion. In high school, he played the French horn; at DePauw he studied voice and sang with the "Collegians;" he sang in church choirs in Essex and Boca Grande; performed in theatrical productions; and was a member of the Barbershop Chorus.
Admissions from the Shoreline area drove the continuing success of Middlesex Hospital. Goetcheus remained in private practice and on the clinical faculty at Yale until retiring in 2000.
In Essex, he served on the Regional School Board, was a founder of the Connecticut River Museum, a member of the Rotary and enjoyed sailing his yawl on Long Island Sound.
He was a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and on the Eastern Orthopedic Association Board of Directors, including six years as treasurer.
He is survived by Jan, his wife of 48 years; children, Amy Kamb and her husband, John, of Woodstock, Vt.; Greg and his wife, Alexis, of Atlanta; grandchildren, Elizabeth and Jack Kamb; and his sister, Mary Ann Goetcheus, of Dayton, Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to DePauw University, 300 Seminary St., Greencastle IN 46135, or the Friends of Boca Grande Community Center.
