F. Gary Gieseke MD

Neurological Surgeon

June 7, 1935 – September 24, 2020

F. Gary Gieseke, MD, loving husband and father, passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on September 24, 2020. Gary was born on June 7, 1935 on the family farm in Patoka, Indiana to Joe and Paulina (Fithian) Gieseke. He was a four-year varsity letterman and Captain of the basketball and baseball teams at Patoka High School. He attended Vanderbilt University on a basketball scholarship and was a fraternity brother of the Indiana University Delta Alpha chapter of Alpha Tau Omega. Gary received his medical degree from the University of Indiana in 1961 and completed his surgical internship at the University of Wisconsin and residency in neurological surgery at the Jackson Memorial Hospital-University of Miami. He completed additional fellowship training in neurosurgery at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in 1965 and worked at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where he held the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

In 1967, Gary established Neurological Surgery Associates in Broward County where he practiced as the senior surgeon for fifty years until his retirement in February 2018. He was on staff at multiple hospitals in Broward County and was an active member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American College of Surgeons, Broward County Medical Association, Caducean Society of Greater Fort Lauderdale, and the Florida Medical Association. For years, Gary was a team physician for the Miami Dolphins. He cared for his patients with utmost dedication, and often volunteered to take on complicated and emergent cases. Gary was a staunch advocate for his fellow physicians and the medical community and traveled to Tallahassee in 2004 to lobby for much needed medical liability reform with the Florida State Senate.

He was an instrument-rated commercial and hot air balloon pilot and had a passion for travel and landscaping. A proud American, Gary loved his country and was known for his thoughtfulness, quick wit, generosity, and sense of humor. Above everything, Gary was a dedicated family man and loved his wife, children, and grandson deeply. Gary was preceded in death by his mother Paulina and his mother-in-law Daw Khin Ma Gyi. He is survived by his loving wife Kaythi, his two children Jade (Carlo) and Grant, grandson Deacon, and sister Joretta.

A private service will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2020. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in his honor to the National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation (https://nlmsf.org/donate/) or the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (Sarcoma Center) (www.miami.edu/givesylvester).