Dr. John H. Rennick, physician, diplomat, soldier, and winery owner, finally got to wear his “I’m Going Underground” London Tube t-shirt, purchased over 30 years ago specifically for this purpose, as he was laid to rest at the Eagle Point VA cemetery in southern Oregon on May 6th. He was surrounded by his family when he died at his home after a months-long battle with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia.

Except when napping, a favorite pastime second only to “paperwork,” John rarely sat still. Born in El Paso, Texas, Juanito spent early summers with his two brothers cavorting in the mountains of southern New Mexico, terrorizing their mother, grandmother, and beloved nanny, building model trains, playing baseball, and earning his Eagle Scout badge. In later years, he sampled education from Texas Western College and a brief, cold year at Northwestern, where he made life-long fraternity brothers in Theta Chi. John then returned to the desert, graduating from the University of Arizona and finally matriculating at the University of Texas Medical School where he found his two loves: medicine and his life-partner, Judy. From there, following in his father’s footsteps, John devoted the next five decades to serving his patients across the globe.

Starting in rural Tennessee as a family practice doctor with the National Health Service Corps alongside his wife, Judy, John soon moved into a field more accommodating to his full beard and bald pate – psychiatry (though he always kept his surgical skills honed by suturing stuffed turkeys at Thanksgiving). Back in the desert, John co-founded a hospital and second hospice (his first was in El Paso) in Las Cruces, NM before establishing his own private practice and becoming a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Medicine and a love for travel took John, Judy, and their four young children from the deserts of New Mexico to the alpine mountains of Bavaria, deep into the heart of Texas, to the snowy plains of Minnesota, and to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Each of these locations was largely selected for their proximity to downhill skiing, though some were clearly more suited to the pastime than others.

It was in Colorado, after earning his Wood Badge in the Bear Patrol, exhausting all avenues as an Assistant Scout Master, and reaching the upper limit of military age standards, that John traded in his kerchief for Kevlar, commissioning as a Major in the US Army Reserves assigned to a Combat Stress Unit and deployed to Fort Leonard Wood during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Some years later, as he again neared government age cut-offs, John joined the US State Department as a regional psychiatrist posted to Beijing, Mexico City, and Washington, DC, where he was finally forced to retire, at least from government service.

Though John continued to practice psychiatry, treating those with chronic and severe mental illness at Options of Southern Oregon, he found a second calling as a greeter, host, and chief valet when he and Judy opened Dos Mariposas Vineyards and Lavender Farm in Medford, Oregon, with his oldest daughter and son-in-law. Every evening, following a day of listening to others, he turned the tables on staff, regulars, and absolute strangers with a litany of anecdotes, laced with his humor and delivered with a smirk.

A committed member of Rotary, he believed deeply in giving back to his community and supporting others through compassion, leadership, and action. During medical school, he worked alongside physicians from around the world through the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War advocating for greater awareness of the catastrophic risks of nuclear conflict. He was proud to see the movement help bring global attention to the issue and the organization was later honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for its work. Throughout his life, John carried that same spirit of service, believing that even small acts of care and advocacy could make the world better for future generations. 

Poppi, as he was known to his grandchildren, played nearly as hard as he worked. Whether it was tennis (in which he finally found worthy opponents once his children married), swimming, skiing, super-gluing chipped dinnerware, or any other number of pastimes, John lived his life with a smile. He was kind, selfless, welcoming, and passionate and he left a mark on thousands of lives, both personally and professionally.

John devoted his life to serving others, in partnership with Judy, who survives him along with their four children, Terri, Marc, Julie, and Angela; their children’s spouses, Mark, Apryl, Nick, and Alex; and eight grandchildren (at last count). He is also survived by brothers Sam (Anne) and Chay (Ann). In John’s memory, go to a baseball game, play train dominoes, be kind to one another, offer a listening ear, and save lives by giving blood.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of these organizations:

Rotary PolioPlus

ACCESS Oregon

Blood Cancer United

American Red Cross