John Juergens

John Louis Juergens, 94, of Rochester, passed away peacefully at his home in Charter House on Friday, December 13, 2019. He was a kind and loving father, a devoted husband, a champion of women, and a great doctor and teacher. Juergens was a pioneering cholesterol researcher and cardiovascular specialist at Mayo Clinic for 37 years, treating farmers from Iowa, oil magnates from Saudi Arabia, and business leaders from Alberta. He respected them all. At the dinner table he would tell stories of the people he had seen that day, and become teary-eyed while relating the story of a Holocaust survivor, or a smoker with high blood pressure whom he had just informed would lose his leg due to gangrene. One of Juergens' legacies is inspiring and mentoring generations of healthcare givers in his family and professional life. His "one-liners" are still quoted in the examination rooms of the Mayo Clinic, a favorite being, "The most important part of a stethoscope is what goes between the ears." Juergens always knew he was going to be a doctor, a resolve that became stronger at age 13 after he assisted his father with delivering a baby. Born in Mankato on March 29, 1925, the second son of Herman Morlock Juergens and Leona Thoelke Juergens, he attended Belle Plaine public school through 8th grade and Concordia High School in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his B. S. degree from the University of Minnesota and graduated from Harvard Medical School. He was an intern at Minneapolis General Hospital (now Hennepin County Medical Center) for one year before being assigned to active duty in the United States Navy Medical Corps in which he served from 1949-52, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander. He was a fellow in internal medicine at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine from 1953-56. He received an M.S. degree from the University of Minnesota in 1956, and was appointed to the staff of the Mayo Clinic as a consultant in cardiovascular diseases and internal medicine that same year. He was named a professor of internal medicine in 1978 and retired in 1990. Among many other achievements, he served as the editor-in-chief of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, president of the Minnesota Heart Association, and a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. He published over 35 academic and research papers. He considered it his "most brilliant coup" to marry Kristy Louise Olsen on September 2, 1948. This talented and beautiful lady steadfastly supported him throughout their long and happy marriage, one that was blessed with four daughters. He wished to be remembered as a doctor whose family was most important to him. In an era when many young women were not encouraged to further their education, John Juergens challenged his daughters to attend the best college to which they were accepted. Later on, after paying tuition for four, he laughingly admitted that at the time of that offer, he didn't realize that each one of his daughters would actually take him up on it. He was a proud dad. John was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Kristy, his parents, two brothers, and a nephew. He is survived by: his sister, Ruth Nelson, and her husband, Harry, of Minnetonka; daughters Carol Juergens, of Kodiak, Alaska; Ann Juergens of St. Paul, Kristy Arend and Laura Sullivan, both of Rochester; nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Memorials are directed to the Transplant Care Fund at the Mayo Clinic for those whom transplant expenses are too great to bear alone. A memorial service will be held on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. at Charter House. The Juergens family wishes to extend its immense gratitude to the staff and caregivers at Charter House who treasured and cared for him too. They were always there for him. And he knew it. We also wish to thank Mayo Hospice staff and volunteers for their exceptional care and guidance to the end.