Dr. Curtis Juhala, M.D.

Dr. Curtis Juhala, M.D., 75, died November 24, 2016, at Baptist Health Care Center, Bismarck, ND. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 29, at St. George's Episcopal Church, 601 North 4th St., Bismarck, with Rev. Canon Zanne Ness officiating. Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Monday, November 28, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery, Bismarck. Curtis Alfred Juhala was born July 19, 1941, in Bismarck, ND, son of Alfred and Lucille (Josephson) Juhala. He grew up in Bismarck, graduating from Bismarck High School in 1959. Curt began studies at Bismarck Junior College, where, in 1960, he met the love of his life, Linda Swanson. Curt transferred to the University of North Dakota in 1961, with Linda following the year after. The two married in Bismarck at First Lutheran Church on June 6, 1963. Curt graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1963 with a BS degree in Medicine. He enlisted in the US Navy and completed two years of studies at the UND School of Medicine before he and Linda moved to Dallas, Texas, where Curt finished his medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern. He and Linda moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where Curt served at the US Naval Hospital. Their daughter Amy was born there. They moved to North Carolina where Curt served as a Navy doctor at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point. Their daughter Traci was born there. After finishing eight years of active duty military service, Curt and Linda moved with their daughters to Jacksonville, Florida. Curt completed residencies in both General and Plastic Surgery in Jacksonville. The family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where Curt completed a year as a Christine Kleinert Hand Fellow at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The family then moved back to Jacksonville where Curt entered practice as a Plastic Surgeon. In the summer of 1978, the family moved back to North Dakota where Curt started his practice in Bismarck. He held medical staff appointments at both St. Alexius and Bismarck (later Medcenter One) hospitals. He served as both Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff at St. Alexius Medical Center. In 1986 he joined the US Army Reserve and attained the rank of Colonel; he was called to active duty for Operation Desert Storm and served at Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. In 1995 he left solo practice and joined MidDakota Clinic. He retired from practice in 2001 due to diabetic neuropathy. Curt lived for his vocation. He loved surgery, and he loved working with people; he served over 14,000 patients during his career. After his retirement from medicine, he had multiple part-time jobs. As a long-time admirer of Eske Solberg, a former television weatherman in Bismarck, he lived out one of his dreams when he worked a short stint at KFYR as the weekend weatherman in 2001. Then he accepted a position working in emergency preparedness with the State Health Department. After that, he worked for the Social Security Administration with other retired physicians as a claims reviewer. Curt also pursued an active avocation of singing. He sang in the Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus for nearly 30 years. He also sang as a soloist every fall at the Norsk Høstfest in Minot. Many festival attendees knew Curt as the singer of the Finnish national anthem; he was very proud of being 100% Finnish. Curt also sang in multiple church choirs over the years, and he was a soloist for many events and ceremonies. He even sang "One Hand, One Heart" from West Side Story to his wife Linda when they married. Curt also loved to travel. Over the years he traveled throughout North America and to several countries in Europe and Asia. He was active as a clinical educator through UND School of Medicine. Curt received many awards: he was BSC Alumnus of the Year in 1982 and a 2010 inductee to the Bismarck High School Hall of Fame. Curt is survived by his wife, Linda, and his daughters, Amy and Traci, Bismarck; his sisters and their spouses: Barb and Jim Frey, Bismarck, Karen and Tom Hanson, Riverview, Florida, Judy Juhala and Joanne King, Champaign, Illinois; his brother-in-law and spouse John and Rosemary Swanson, Auburn, Washington; his brother-in-law Richard Throndset, Bismarck; his aunt Sharon Miller, Bismarck; his uncle Dennis Josephson, Lake Havasu City, Arizona; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by his canine companions Koko, Sydney, Teddy, Candy, and Cassan, and his beloved cat, Sadie. Curt was preceded in death by his parents, Alfred and Lucille; his mother and father-in-law Louise (Rindahl) and Henry Swanson; his sister-in-law Elizabeth Throndset; and his brother-in-law Tim Weist. Those wishing to honor Curt with a memorial may choose St. George’s Episcopal Church, Bismarck State College Foundation, or a charity of their choice.