John William Sybert DO

Doctor John William Sybert, a loving husband, father, and grandfather passed away on July 28, 2025, in Longmont, Colorado after 84 years of life. John was born in Nanty-Glo, Pennsylvania to Fabian Joseph Sybert and Ellen Waldron Sybert. He was the second youngest of 4 siblings: Dr. Robert Sybert, Faye Jerome, and Darlene Sybert. His siblings and parents preceded him in death.

John attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and Nanty-Glo High School. He loved working on the farm and at the Feed Mill as a young man. This love of farming translated to a life-long passion for gardening.

John went on to attend Kent State University and Des Moines University where he earned a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. John met his future wife, Rose Mary Sybert, in Des Moines. They married the day after John graduated from Des Moines University in June 1965 and had a long and happy marriage of 60 years.

John loved being an anesthesiologist and appreciated the challenging cases. He pursued additional training in a residency program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in anesthesia for neurosurgical cases. After this training, John joined a practice that serviced Botsford General Hospital in Farmington, Michigan where he practiced for 29 years until his retirement in 2001.

John enjoyed traveling the world teaching anesthesia and carrying out procedures to help those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to medical care. He taught anesthesia in Malawi and Uganda using drugs like ether. He traveled to the Philippines to carry out medical procedures for people who couldn’t pay for medical services.

John and Rose Mary had two children: Catherine (Cathy) Blair Olkin (husband Terry) and Christopher Fabian Sybert (deceased as a newborn). John always supported Cathy and treated her as capable and mature. Many evenings when he returned home late from the hospital, he would sit at the “Table of Knowledge” aka the kitchen table with Cathy and her friends to discuss current events, history (one of his favorite subjects) and science. Hours would go by as we would debate the fall of Rome or the fossil record.

After he retired, John and Rose Mary relocated to Colorado to be near their daughter and grandchildren, Jake Waldron Olkin and Zachary Dax Olkin. John regaled Jake and Zach with stories of Pennsylvania and visions of the best city in the world, Pittsburgh. John liked fishing and hiking and made lifelong friends hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Besides his wife Rose Mary and his daughter Cathy, John leaves his two grandchildren: Jake and Zachary.

Donations may be sent in memory of John Sybert to the Des Moines University at www.dmu.edu/giving/make-a-gift/ . A funeral service for John will be held Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel, 326 Terry St., Longmont, CO 80501, followed by a reception from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM.