John Corley VanGilder

VANGILDER, KENNEY, STEWART, CORLEY

Posted By: Tara (email)
Date: 6/19/2009 at 16:11:22

John Corley VanGilder, 72, of Iowa City died peacefully Sunday, August 26, 2007 at his home following a long illness.

He is survived by his wife, Kerstin, and children, Sarah of Cleveland, John G. and his wife Sarah Kenney of Great Falls, Montana, Rachel of Des Moines and David of Seattle;
three grandchildren, Elinor, Libby and Margareta; and his nephew Alan Stewart, and niece Rebecca Stewart.

John was born in Huntington, West Virginia on August 14, 1935, the son of Ray and
Sarah Corley Van Gilder. He was raised in Sutton, West Virginia. John earned his B.A. degree in 1957, and a B.S. degree in 1959 at West Virginia University in Morgantown,
West Virginia, and in 1961 he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.

After medical school, John completed an internship and one year of general surgery training at the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which was interrupted by two years in the United States Air Force. While in Philadelphia, he
met and married the former Kerstin Olsson, and completed his residency in neurological
surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1970, John began practicing neurosurgery at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he was an instructor, assistant and associate professor. He was certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgeons in 1972. In1976, he became
Professor and Chairman of the Division of Neurosurgery at the University of Iowa,
a position he held until he stepped down in 2001. He continued to serve as Professor
of Neurosurgery until his retirement.

Throughout his career, John remained keenly enthusiastic about neurosurgery. He was
well-known and highly respected in the field of neurological surgery, and belonged and
held officer positions in a number of societies. Throughout his career, John wrote and published hundreds of papers and book chapters and textbooks. He was a caring physician.

In addition to his work, John enjoyed a variety of hobbies. He and Kerstin took trips to countries around the world together and they appreciated adventure travel, including hiking. Closer to home, when the weather was nice he could be found working in his yard. He loved to cheer on the Iowa Hawkeye sports teams, fish, complete the daily
crossword puzzle and spend time with his family.