Obituaries: John S. Wilkie

  • by BAR staff
  • Wednesday February 22, 2023
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John S. Wilkie
John S. Wilkie

August 17, 1940 — February 4, 2023

Jack was born in 1940 in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. In 1964, he graduated from the College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan. He subsequently obtained his fellowship in ophthalmology in 1970 at the University of British Columbia. He followed this with a year as a Fellow at the Proctor Foundation, UCSF, before returning to Vancouver where he practiced ophthalmology until 1977.

Jack then returned to San Francisco and became a partner in the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group until he retired in 1995. He was an active member of critical social justice initiatives, including the Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, which became the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights.

Jack's love of travel allowed him to develop great friendships across the globe. He established a brilliant life for himself in San Francisco, Honolulu, and Palm Springs, while maintaining lifelong relationships in Canada. His friends meant the world to him and, in later years, these friends continued to enrich his life.

Jack's wish was to live his final years in the San Francisco home he loved. He was able to do so with the unwavering support of his good friend Steve Wissing. Jack will be dearly missed by his sister Donna, her partner Rita, and the many friends whom he loved. There will be a gathering to celebrate Jack, first in San Francisco, and then later in Vancouver.

Jack was one of a kind. He reminded all of us to enjoy life.

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