Louis Andrew Vontver, loving husband, friend, father, grandfather, and great grandfather was born May 10, 1936, in Billings, Montana. He was the only child of Scandinavian immigrant parents, May and Simon Vontver, who met homesteading in Montana. Louis grew up in ranching and oil production communities of Montana and Wyoming. After graduating from Powell High School, he went on to earn a B.A., B.S., and Doctor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota, where he met and married his beloved wife, Bonnie.
The happy couple moved to Torrance, California, where Louis completed an internship at Harbor General Hospital and enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed at Tachikawa Air Force Base in Japan. As a flight medical officer, he flew in South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, Vietnam, and parts of India. During this time, Louis earned a black belt in Judo from the Kodokon in Tokyo.
In 1964, he accepted a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology, completed a four-year residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology and joined the faculty at the University of Washington Medical School. Lou worked at UW, Harborview, and U.S. Public Health Service hospitals, in Seattle. During this time, he earned a Master’s in Education and was appointed Director of the Education Division for the Department of OB/GYN.
Of his many professional accomplishments, Louis was most proud of his contributions to medical education and training. He was a board examiner for American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and was a founding member of the Scholars and Leaders Program for the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO). He was a pioneer of WWAMI (Washington Wyoming Alaska Montana Idaho), a multi-state medical education program. Louis authored and co-authored several textbooks and study guides, published over thirty papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, and won APGO awards for teaching excellence and career achievement. As a professor, he ran a successful program at the University of Washington Medical School until 2006, when he retired Professor Emeritus.
After retirement, he continued giving seminars to third-year medical students taking their clerkship in OB/GYN. Additionally, he was active in Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility’s climate change task force. He was grateful for the “remarkable career he never could have imagined” when he graduated from medical school in 1960.
Lou led a rich life. He enjoyed sailing: crewing in the Swiftsure long-distance sailing race in the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and chartering boats out of Anacortes for family sailing trips through the San Juan Islands. He was a member of the Hyak Ski Patrol, on Snoqualmie Pass, where he volunteered his services as a doctor and introduced his family to skiing. He loved salmon fishing with family and friends at Lake Wenatchee, Neah Bay and Alaska. He was passionate about soccer; coaching both his sons’ teams and playing in the Seattle “old man’s league” until he was 79. Family vacations included trips to visit relatives in Minnesota, Sweden, and Norway.
He and Bonnie loved spending time at their place on Lake Wenatchee and participating in their long-standing couples book group. He loved nurturing his yard and gardens, especially his roses. In fact, he was known as the “rose guy” at work, because he’d bring roses from his garden in a bucket and distribute them to hospital staff. He loved his family and never missed the chance to send Valentine’s and birthday cards to his kids and grandkids. Strawberries were his favorite… “God COULD have made a better berry than a strawberry, but He never did."
Lou cherished his wife, family, and friends. After Bonnie’s death, Lou met Ollie Andronyk. It turned out that they lived a few blocks from each other in View Ridge. Ollie brought joy back into Lou’s life and they remained together until his passing on May 2nd, 2024. Louis will be dearly missed. He is survived by his three children, Kirsten, Ross (Sunday), and Jason (Leslie), five grandkids, Jillian (Grant), Roy, Beck, Tia, and Tatum, two great grandkids, Flynn and Maya, and his partner Ollie.
A twinkle in his eye, a smile on his face and a bear hug at the ready, Louis is remembered for deeply caring about people, medicine and the environment. He was thoughtful and generous towards family, friends and the organizations he supported. He brought countless children into the world as an OB doctor, and was a champion for women's health and reproductive rights.
A celebration of Louis’ life will be held at 1pm, Saturday, June 29, 2024, on the UW Campus in Kane Hall’s Walker-Ames Room.
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