Thomas Richard Juhl

Dick Juhl, a much-loved and admired healthcare professional and longtime resident of San Francisco, died unexpectedly on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Born Thomas Richard Juhl, the only child of Thomas Christian Juhl and Frances Marie Dunn Juhl, Dick was born in Denver, Colorado and grew up in Golden and Lakewood; he graduated from Lakewood High School in 1959. He was always full of fun: typically, after serving as “Mr. Tiger,” the high school mascot in his senior year, he attended the 60th reunion in a tiger costume!

Dick graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in 1963, then got an M.D. from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1967. Starting in 1968, he served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and then in the Army Reserve at Letterman Army Hospital in the San Francisco Presidio; he was honorably discharged in July of 1976. In 1977, he completed the residency program in clinical pathology at the University of California, San Francisco. He found that the practice of that medical specialty did not suit him, so Dick completed a second residency in psychiatry at UC San Francisco in 1981, then went on to work at the Tenderloin Mental Health Clinic until he retired. In 1988, he was board certified in psychiatry.

Dick’s friends and colleagues loved his generosity, charm, warmth, and mischievous humor. He became famous for his ongoing art project, “The Kitsch Wall,” mounted in his basement. He shared an easy companionability, even with strangers at the next table in a crowded restaurant. With his easy laugh and good nature, people quickly fell in love with him. He never stopped helping his friends until the end of his life. Saying he will be missed doesn’t come close to covering how much our lives have been diminished by his passing. We cherish our memories of him and remember how he made this world a better place.

Survivors include his uncle, Allen Dunn, and numerous cousins in Colorado and California. A memorial service will be held in the near future.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sanfranciscocolumbarium.com for the Juhl family.