John Percival Reasoner Jr.

Born on February 8, 1954, in New Haven, Connecticut, to Mary Dolberry Reasoner and John Percival Reasoner Sr., he grew into a physician whose career combined clinical excellence with service, education, and an enduring commitment to sport. He was widely known for his warmth, steady leadership, and belief that medicine was at its best when practiced in service to others.

A graduate of Brown University, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology, a master’s degree in microbiology, and his medical degree. Board-certified in Family Practice and Sports Medicine, he served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1980 to 2000. Parallel to his military service, he worked extensively with the U.S. Olympic Committee from 1986 to 2010, including as volunteer physician for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, head physician at the 1995 U.S. Pan American Games in Argentina, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Dr. Reasoner took particular pride in teaching. He educated generations of physicians and volunteered his time as a doctor for local high school sports teams, believing that mentorship was as important as mastery. During his military career, he led physician training programs at Fort Belvoir Military Medical Center in Fairfax, Virginia, and at Dwight D. Eisenhower Military Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, before serving as Chief of Primary Care at Evans Army Hospital in Colorado Springs.

A proud member of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division, Dr. Reasoner deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm from September 1990 to April 1991. He later deployed to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia from March to October 1992.

After retiring from the Army, Dr. Reasoner continued his leadership in civilian medicine, serving as Medical Director for Emergicare Medical Clinics, Medical Director for Centura Health Urgent Care Clinics in Colorado Springs, and Medical Director for the U.S. Olympic Committee. He also gave generously to his professional community, serving on the board of the El Paso County Medical Society and as its president from 2013 to 2015.

Away from hospitals and stadiums, he was an enthusiastic sports fan, an avid gardener, and a devoted observer of the natural world. He delighted in birds and the small visitors—squirrels and rabbits—that wandered through his yard, finding in them a quiet counterbalance to a life of responsibility and motion.

In 1976, he married Dolores “Lorrie” Seeley. Their marriage spanned more than 49 years and anchored a life defined by service and family. He is survived by his wife, Lorrie; his children, Alleona and John “Jack” Percival Reasoner III; his daughter in-law Rachele Ann Reasoner and his granddaughter, Alicia Murden, as well as three cousins, three nephews and their children. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary and John Reasoner; his uncle, Alfred Reasoner; and his aunt, Zadie Williams.

Dr. Reasoner often said he was “perfecting the prototype,” believing that each generation should leave the next better equipped to meet the world. By that measure, his work—as a physician, teacher, husband, father, and grandfather—stands as his most enduring achievement.