Dr. Jimmie Allen Gleason, age 89, of Topeka, Kansas, died on January 24, 2023. Born to Fred and Flora Gleason on March 18, 1933 in Clay Center, Kansas, he grew up on a dairy farm where his family sold horses and mules . He was active in sports and played cornet in both the Clay Center High School marching band and the K-State marching band while still in high school. He was also selected for Boy’s State.
He attended the University of Kansas where he lived at Battenfeld Scholarship Hall and played first cornet in the KU marching band. He was active in many organizations while in college and was a member of the OWL Society and the Sachem honor societies. He has been an avid fan of KU sports throughout his life regularly attending KU football and basketball games, including many four-legged finals. In 1955 he married Mary Ellen “Micke” Hirsch, who passed away in 2000. In 2002 he married Louise Hoffmaster.
He attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine and interned at Latter-day Saints Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He served as a Captain in the Air Force and was stationed at Fort McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS, after which he completed his obstetrics and gynecology residency at the University of Kansas.
He began his OB/GYN practice in Topeka, KS in 1964 in the group that would become the Lincoln Center OB/GYN. During her career, she has given birth to over 12,000 children. She started the first family planning clinic in Topeka which has become a national model. Recognizing that pregnant teenage women could not attend school in the late 1960s, she helped lead a collaborative effort to found the Teen School for Pregnant Teens. She considered this one of her greatest achievements.
He was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder. He has been involved with the American Cancer Society, the Shawnee County Medical Society and the Kansas Medical Society of which he served as president in 1983. He has also been active in the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology serving as a leader at state, local and national level. He was busy resolving liability issues that threatened patients’ access to healthcare professionals. He chaired the ACOG’s national liability committee and was instrumental in founding the Kansas Medical Mutual Insurance Company, a liability company that supports both physicians and hospitals throughout the state of Kansas. He has served as president and chairman of the board of directors of KAMMCO. Additionally, he served as president of the Physician’s Insurance Association of America. He was active with the Kansas Healthcare Stabilization Fund and served as its president. He also helped his stepdaughter, Katherine Henry, establish Invivo, a professional liability insurance company, in Sydney, Australia, and served on her board of directors.
He is left by his wife, Louise; his sons, Dr. Jeffrey Gleason of Nashville, Tennessee; Dr. Douglas Gleason (Angie) of Topeka, Kansas; stepdaughters, Lisa Ruder (Jim) of San Diego, California; and Katherine Henry (Douglas) of Sydney, Australia; 10 grandchildren, Mary Katherine (Nick) Seago, John Gleason, Laura Gleason, Emily Gleason, Sarah Gleason, Allison (Stephen) Gordon, Michael Ruder, Isabella Henry, McCalla Henry and Braedon Henry; and great-granddaughter, Halle Gordon. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Ellen “Micke” and his son, Michael.
Visiting will be Friday, February 3, 5-7pm at Penwell-Gable, 1321 SW 10th Avenue. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday 4th February at 10.30am at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Memorial contributions are payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church at 1275 SW Boswell, Topeka, KS 66604.
To leave a message online for the family, visit www.penwellgabeltopeka.com.
Published online January 28, 2023
Published in Topeka Capital Journal
