John Douglass Muir, MD, Ph.D.- John D. Muir, 74, of Amelia Island, Florida, died on Sunday, March 20, 2022. John was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 11, 1947, to Mary and Clifford Muir.

John graduated from Etobicoke Collegiate in Toronto and was then accepted into a dual undergraduate/medical degree program at the University of Toronto. There he received the Thomas Douglas Kendrick Medal for graduating at the top of his class. Following medical school, John obtained a Ph.D. in Immunology from the Scripps Clinic Research Institute in San Diego, California. He completed post-graduate clinical training in Internal Medicine in Toronto.

While in medical residency, John met the love of his life, Jane Savory, a registered nurse, at Wellesley Hospital in Toronto. John went on to pursue his Pulmonology/Critical Care clinical fellowship in Calgary, Canada. John and Jane married on December 24, 1976, and John completed his fellowship at the Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto in 1979. That same year, John and Jane moved to the United States and their daughter, Tara Jane Muir, was born. John practiced medicine in Connecticut and Massachusetts for 16 years before moving to Naples, Florida, in 1995, where he ran the Pulmonary Critical Care department at Naples North Collier Hospital and Physicians Regional Hospital.

In 2006, John earned a graduate degree in public health from the University of South Florida to complement his medical practice and quest for further knowledge. In 2010, John and Jane relocated to Amelia Island, Florida, where John set up and ran a new Pulmonary and Critical Care department at Baptist Nassau Hospital. There, he was able to use his knowledge, training, and skills to treat patients as well as influence public health in the northeast Florida region. During his career, John was recognized as a local health care leader and hero to many, professionally and personally. He was appointed to many physician medical boards in each of the communities in which he practiced and was repeatedly voted clinician of the year by members of the medical community. John retired in 2019 to enjoy time with his family and friends.

In addition to his career in medicine, John was gifted in life with many opportunities and experiences. As a child, he was fortunate to travel the world, as his father was the Chief Financial Officer of Noranda Mines. John was a Canadian boy scout and spent his summers as a young camper and camp counselor running long canoe tripping expeditions in Northern Canada. John recounted these trips as periods of fun, personal growth, and lessons in leadership. In college, John established many lifelong friendships as a student, Zeta Psi fraternity member, and part-time local radio disc jockey. John’s love of music was a constant in his life and could always bring about a warm smile, great memory, or thoughts of old friends.

The family was above all to John. He never missed his daughter’s sporting events, recitals, or special family moments, despite his busy professional schedule. John loved skiing with his family in Colorado and Europe and enjoyed summers at the family lake cottage in Muskoka, Canada. His greatest joy was being at the lake with his loving wife Jane, daughter Tara Jane, grandson Jack, son-in-law John and other family members and friends. His deepest wish was for everyone to be kind to one another. Amongst everyone, always, John craved peace, humility, honesty, and happiness topped with a darn good sense of humor.

John is survived by his loving wife of 45 years Jane Savory Muir; daughter Tara Jane Muir; her husband John Burke Cahill Jr.; and grandson John (Jack) Burke Cahill, III, of Mount Pleasant, S.C.; sisters-in-law Linda Gordon of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario; Susan Tesar of Viera, Florida; and Linda Muir of Simcoe, Ontario. He is also survived by his nieces Jennifer, Valerie, and Karen, nephews Stehvn and James, and numerous great-nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by his parents Mary and Clifford Muir and older brother David Muir.

A celebration of John’s life will be held at a future time with family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Florida Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration Program at the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, 3009 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, Florida 32608, to advance the understanding and treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.
https://www.uff.ufl.edu/give-now/?fund_id=011341
The family would like to thank John’s medical team at the University of Florida, including Dr. Irene Malaty, Dr. Michael Okun, and Matthew Barabas.