John J. Ford III, a beloved Arvada family physician, was a man with a supernatural gift.
“This is going to sound funny, but he could just touch people and help them,” said Connie Ford, his wife. “He could not retire, because he knew he was meant to be helping people. He said, ‘It’s what I’m on Earth to do.’ “
Whatever the source of Ford’s gift, his patient-centric approach transcended the bottom line and circumvented hospital rules.
In a strange twist of fate, Ford died Nov. 18 of complications from a basic knee-replacement surgery that led to a staph infection. Jan. 1 would have been his 75th birthday; he was born the first baby of 1937 in Houston.
Ford earned his medical degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in 1963 and practiced for more than 40 years.
Two traits characterized Ford’s professional life, which was thinly separated from his personal life: He had an uncanny talent as a diagnostician, and he was a patient advocate.
Ford’s wife recalled the time a choir member at their church, Spirit of Christ Catholic Community in Arvada, came into Ford’s practice. She had received several medical diagnoses at another facility, but her health problems persisted.
“She walked in the door, and he instantly knew she had cancer,” Connie Ford said. “He knew what kind of cancer she had, and he knew she had less than three months to live.”
His style of patient care focused on all aspects of a person, including spiritual and emotional well-being.
“He spent more time than he probably should’ve with people to make sure they understood their condition and to try to work on it,” said Bill Wolfe, a former patient and longtime friend.
Above all else, he cared for patients even if it meant overriding rules that he felt weren’t in a patient’s best interest.
Years ago, a woman with a serious brain injury was going into surgery. Hospital rules forbade her female partner from entering because she did not qualify as next of kin.
“He violated every hospital rule there was to get her into the room,” Connie Ford said.
John Ford spent extra time with patients who needed more attention and stayed after hours, free of charge, for those whose insurance would not cover the visit or tests.
“A person probably just felt they were just the most important thing in the world when they were in the room with him,” said Karen Dorcas, Ford’s medical assistant for 32 years.
In addition to his wife, Ford is survived by daughters Tambria Leland, Shannon Tuininga, Lisa Heaton and Suzanne English; son John Jay Ford IV; brother David Ford; sisters Dinah Downen and Bitsy Shephard; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Donations may be made to Lalmba, an Arvada humanitarian organization Ford supported, or to Spirit of Christ Catholic Community.
Kristen Leigh Painter: 303-954-1638, kpainter@denverpost.com or
