Dr. John Culver Donaldson

1943 - 2017

Donaldson, Dr. John Culver
73, passed away on January 25, 2017 after a brief illness. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 26, 1943 to John and Mary Donaldson. He grew up in San Diego and graduated from San Diego State College in 1965, with a degree in chemistry. John then went on to study medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1969. He served as a doctor in the U.S. Navy for eight years, completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Philadelphia and finished his fellowship in pulmonary medicine at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. Once out of service, in 1978, John moved with his family to Phoenix. Initially he worked at the Medical Care Clinic in Sun City, but later he went into practice for himself. He opened the Clinic for Chest Diseases, also in Sun City, in 1984 and tended to his patients there and in area hospitals for the next 32 years. He also served as an adjunct assistant professor at Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine from 1997 on and served as a medical director for several local nursing homes. John was an avid, lifelong gardener and a black belt in Jujitsu. He spent three decades diligently researching the family's genealogical history, collecting the names and stories of more than 90,000 people. John is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jean; three daughters, Sara, Leslie and Katie; and grandchildren CJ, Ailsa, Meada, Caitlyn, Ruben, John, Alejandro, Camille, Emerson, Parker and Kendall. Memorial services will be held Saturday, January 28 at 2 p.m. at Orangewood Presbyterian Church, 7321 N. 10th St., Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the West Valley Genealogical Society or the American Lung Association.