Obituary: JD Mortensen, M.D.

JD Mortensen, M.D. 1920 ~ 2005 JD Mortensen, 84, died on June 10, 2005 in Salt Lake of natural causes related to age and multiple lingering infirmities. JD was born in Thatcher, Arizona, the first of five children of Martin and Bearl Naegle Mortensen. His boyhood years were filled with a rich variety of outdoor, academic and athletic pursuits. As a boxer, he fought twice for the middle weight Golden Gloves championship of Arizona. He married Sarah Owens in 1942 in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Their union produced nine children. Sarah died in 1969. He later married Eva Tanner Davis in the Salt Lake Temple. JD graduated from Arizona State University in 1942 and from the University of Southern California Medical School in 1946, at which time he was commissioned as a officer in the U.S. Army. He served as a physician in the military until his honorable discharge as a Captain in 1948. He thereafter served a thoracic and cardiovascular surgical fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Mortensen practiced thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in Salt Lake City on the staffs of the Rumel Chest Clinic, LDS Hospital, and Primary Children's Hospital for 19 years (1955-74) performing more than 2,000 cardiovascular operations. He introduced open heart surgery and major vascular surgery at the LDS and Primary Children's Hospitals and performed the first of more than 20 different types of surgery in these fields. He served on the clinical faculty of the University of Utah College of Medicine for 29 years (1955-1984) and served as director of surgical research laboratories at LDS Hospital (1955-74), Primary Children's Hospital (1968-72), and UBTL Division of the University of Utah Research Institute (1974-84), and as a consultant in surgical research at UBTL, Inc., Deseret Research Company. After retiring from active clinical surgery in 1974, Dr. Mortensen engaged in research activities involving cardiopulmonary bypass, total mechanical substitution for heart and lungs, artificial lung, vascular prostheses and morphometry of human pulmonary airways. He was a collaborating scientist on several major thoracic and cardiovascular research projects. He developed more than 20 surgical devices and instruments and was granted patents on 12 medical products. Dr. Mortensen authored more than 200 published scientific papers, abstracts and technical reports. He made presentations concerning his intravenous pulmonary blood gas exchange device (IVOX) at scientific gatherings throughout the world. In 2000, the Deseret Foundation conferred upon him the Legacy of Life Scientific Achievement Award. In 1996 he received the Utah State Days of 47 Pioneers of Progress Award and in 1992 he received the Utah Governor's Medal for Science and Technology Achievement. JD was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served for 13 years on the YMMIA General Board and for several years as chairman of its scout committee. He wrote numerous manuals and supplements for the YMMIA. He developed and wrote the BSA Varsity Scout program for 14 and 15 year old boys and authored several varsity scout handbooks and manuals. He served on the faculty at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, as advancement chairman for the Great Salt Lake Council BSA, and as a volunteer staff member, or chaplain, at four national and world Boy Scout jamborees. He was a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope and Silver Beehive awards for his work in scouting. JD served for several years as an elected member of the Granite Community Council and for four years as its Chairman. He served on Salt Lake County's Citizen Advisory Committee in connection with the long range planning and development of Dimple Dell Nature Park. JD enjoyed growing tropical fruit in his solar-heated greenhouse, building rock walls, raising water fowl, fly fishing, cooking, telling tall-tales, giving his fabled "bull call," traveling the country with his family in Hippopatabus and teaching young men to work at SOMPADDU. He delighted in spending time with his children, grandchildren and great-grand-children. JD is survived by his wife of 35 years, Eva; and by 10 children; 35 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. His surviving family members include, sons, Jay (Maralee) of American Fork; Glenn (Martha) of Logan; Spencer (Emily) of Sandy; Douglas (Vicki) of Salt Lake; Richard (Diane) of Sandy; daughters, Sarah Mortensen of Logan; Debra (Art) Sandack of Salt Lake; JoAn (Eric) Ellsworth of Mesa, AZ; Patricia (Craig) Wagstaff of Boise, ID; Deby (Glen) Burton of Eden, Utah. He is also survived by a younger brother, Gale (Nell) Mortensen of Tempe, AZ; two sisters, Alta Hunter of Tillamook, OR; and Lora May (Roy) Willis of Chandler, AZ; and by his unofficially adopted son, Veikko (Sirkka) Puikkonen of Midvale. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Sarah Owens; and a younger brother, Keith Conrad Mortensen. Funeral services will be held at 12 noon on Thursday, June 16 at Dimple Dell Park Ward at 9880 South 3100 East. Friends may call at Larkin Sunset Gardens Mortuary at 1950 East 10600 South, Sandy, from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, June 15 or on June 16 at the Dimple Dell Park Ward chapel one hour prior to service on June 16.