Middlebrook, John Edward, M.D. was born in St Paul on September 14, 1926 and died in Bloomington, MN on May 25, 2015. His father Bill was the Vice President of the University of Minnesota while his mother Margaret ran both the household and her husband's busy social schedule. John grew up during the dominance of Golden Gopher football and remembered vividly the players of the 5 National champion teams between 1934 and 1941. Academics were heavily emphasized in the Middlebrook household and John was an exceptional student. In 1940 he became ill with rheumatic fever and missed the entire school year. When he returned to school at St Paul Academy in 1941, he completed both 8th and 9th grade in one year. This has never been accomplished, before or since, at SPA. While at SPA he met Harry Gregg, the outgoing and unrestrained opposite to John's shy and twice thinking personality. They became best friends for life. John immediately enlisted in the US Navy after graduating from SPA in 1944. By 1945 he was with the US Fleet in the South Pacific. After the war John entered college, first at St. Thomas and then at the University of Minnesota. At the "U" he met and fell in love with Phyllis Canfield and they married in 1948. They began raising a family and John began medical school at the "U" during which time he also enlisted in the US Army, ultimately achieving the rank of Captain. Upon graduation he was assigned to a MASH unit in Korea but that was deferred as he by then had 2 young children. His unit was overrun in 1953 with complete loss of life. This both haunted him and made him grateful for every day he had for the rest of his life. John was a true member of The Greatest Generation. John became an Internal Medicine Specialist ultimately forming a long term medical practice, Hedrick, Mullin & Middlebrook. From 1955 to 1974 he was team doctor for the U of M Varsity Basketball team. In the 1970s he was Chief of Staff at St Mary's Hospital. In the 1980s John became a senior physician at Group Health and continued to perform US Army physicals well into his retirement. In his early 50's John also discovered that he was actually a good athlete and became an avid skier, golfer and tennis player. He also rediscovered his abilities as a bridge and poker player. Most important, after all his years of dedicated and demanding work as a Doctor, he and Phyllis were able to enjoy more time together including weeks at their cabin on Madeline Island, winters in San Miguel de allende, Mexico and then later in their lives, many hours at hockey rinks where they became St Paul Academy and St Paul United's greatest hockey grandparents. After 66 years together it is no surprise that following Phyllis's death in October 2014 John died so soon after. John was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Phyllis, his parents Bill and Margaret, his brother Bill and grandchildren, Alex and Analise. He is survived by his sisters, Ann and Margaret; his children, Joan (Michael), Bill, Geoff (Sachiko), Chris (Cathryn) and Apophia (Steve); his grandchildren, Seanan, Leslie, Clea, Ian, Delaney, Mary and Silas' as well as 6 great grandchildren. A Memorial Service will be held on June 25 at 5:30pm at Cremation Society of Minnesota, 7110 France Avenue S, Edina, MN 952-924- 4100. Memorial gifts can be sent to St. Paul Academy, 1712 Randolph Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105 or Mayo Clinic, Long QT Syndrome Research, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905.