Aug 3, 1927 - May 8, 2022
LOS GATOS, CALIF. – Bert Johnson was born to Seth and Clara Johnson in Modesto, California, and was joined four years later by sister Nancy Lee Johnson. Bert demonstrated a caring nature early on by bringing home hungry kids from school for his Mom to feed during the depression. He joined the Navy during the Second World War at the age of 17, lying about his age to do so. He was in naval flight school when the war ended in 1945.
He attended Colorado College during the war, and then transferred to Stanford on the GI bill. He married Jeremy Milbank after graduating from Stanford, moving on to Stanford medical school, and then a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University. He and Jeremy returned to San Jose and then Los Gatos where he would establish a private practice in OB/GYN, the Los Olivos Women’s Medical Clinic. They had four children together, Lynn, Leslie, William, and Charles, and established a small ranch of 25 acres atop Fawndale Road. This was our father’s lasting paradise, and the site of many gatherings of friends and family, and many team roping events. Bert would have a step-daughter, Melissa, with his second wife Lynne Crowell. He was then married to Gretchen Van Bevers (“the love of my life”) in 1985, remaining married until her untimely death in 2015.
Professionally, Bert expanded Los Olivos from a solo practice to multiple partners who built a large clinic with a burgeoning clientele, eventually to be taken over by Stanford University some years after his departure at the age of 67. He was the first head of OB/GYN at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Gatos, taught OB/GYN residents at the Santa Clara County Hospital during his private practice years, acquired a sub-specialty in urogynecology, and then resumed practice as professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University Medical school at age 69, helping to revitalize the urogynecology program there until his final retirement from medicine at the age of 79. During his Stanford years he took a team of physicians including senior OB/GYN residents to the Hospital de la Familia in Guatemala each year for a two-week mission to deliver care to an underserved population. His daughters joined for several trips as Spanish translators.
Outside of medicine, Bert was a cowboy, rancher, quarter horse breeder, team roper, mule racer, snow and water skier, bird and game hunter, card shark, and tennis player. He won the Gold Card team roping at the Salinas rodeo (one of the premier rodeo events in the entire country) at the age of 70, one of the crowning achievements of his life. He continued to ride and rope until the age of 92, when he suffered a hip fracture in a mishap involving his racing mule “Utah.” He penned his life story at age 86, titled “Ropin’ Doc” (visit www.ropindoc.net for more information and quotes on his life).
Bert is survived by his four children, six grandchildren, and 10 great grandchildren. His parents and sister Nancy preceded him in death. He leaves behind a rich legacy of survival, grit, humor, laughter, wit, intelligence, and generosity. We will fondly remember his daily optimistic mantra, “It’s a great day to be alive.” He passed peacefully at home with family just short of his 95th birthday.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Hospital de la Familia Foundation, PO Box 12981, Berkeley, CA 94712-3981. Memorial/Celebration of Life event TBA.