Local physician, 89, passes away
- Share via
John R. McNicholas, an obstetrician and former chief of staff at Glendale Memorial Hospital, died Tuesday in his Glendale home after treatment for lunch cancer. He was 89.
McNicholas served on several hospital committee and administrative posts, including a stints as chief of staff and chairman of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Glendale Memorial.
“One interesting thing about him was that he knew from an early age he wanted to be a doctor,” daughter Kathy McNicholas said. “He sewed up his teddy bear at the age of 5. He was married to medicine.”
McNicholas worked as a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at USC’s Keck School of Medicine and taught surgery and diagnostics at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center until 2004.
“He was probably one of the finest human beings I ever knew both as a physician and as a friend,” said Santo Polito, a friend and colleague. “His patients absolutely loved the man.”
Born on Jan. 24, 1916, in Marenisco, Mich., McNicholas graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University. He earned a medical degree from the University of Michigan.
He would go on to deliver babies and treat women’s medical needs for nearly half a century, retiring in 1993. Though he was retired, he continued to teach and remained in touch with the medical community.
McNicholas is survived by his daughters Kathleen Ann McNicholas of San Francisco and Marilyn Sue McNicholas of La Crescenta; sons John R. McNicholas Jr. of Santa Cruz and Brian Emmet McNicholas of Janesville, Wisc.; brother James D. McNicholas of Beaumont, Texas; and grandsons Michael Brendan McNicholas and John Powers McNicholas.
Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Nov. 4 at Oakmont Country Club, 3100 Country Club Drive., Glendale.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to USC Keck School of Medicine, Ob-Gyn, c/o: Robert Israel, Wch 1009, 1240 N. Mission Road., Los Angeles, CA 90033; or to the Glendale Memorial Foundation, Cancer Center, 1420 S. Central Ave., Glendale, CA 91204.