Dr. Jimmie Allen Gleason, age 89, of Topeka, Kansas died January 24, 2023. Born to Fred and Flora Gleason on March 18, 1933 in Clay Center, Kansas, he was raised on a dairy farm where his family sold horses and mules. He was active in sports and played cornet in both the Clay Center High School marching band and K-State marching band while still in high school. He was also selected to Boy’s State.

He attended the University of Kansas where he lived at Battenfeld Scholarship Hall and played first cornet in the KU marching band. He was active in many organizations while in college and was a member of OWL Society and Sachem honor societies. He was an avid KU sports fan throughout his life regularly attending KU football and basketball games including many final fours. In 1955, he married Mary Ellen “Micke” Hirsch who passed away in 2000. In 2002, he married Louise Hoffmaster.

He attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine and interned at Latter-day Saints Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. He served as a Captain in the Air Force and was stationed at Fort McConnell AFB in Wichita, KS after which he completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Kansas.

He began his OB/GYN practice in Topeka, KS in 1964 in the group that would become Lincoln Center OB/GYN. During his career, he delivered over 12,000 babies. He started the first family planning clinic in Topeka which became a national model. Recognizing that pregnant teenage women were not allowed to attend school in the late 1960s, he helped lead a collaborative effort to found the Teen School for pregnant teenagers. He considered this one of his greatest accomplishments.

He was an active member of Westminster Presbyterian Church where he served as an elder. He was involved with the American Cancer Society, the Shawnee County Medical Society, and the Kansas Medical Society which he served as President in 1983. He was also active in the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology serving as a leader at the state, local, and national levels. He was committed to solving professional liability issues that threatened patient access to healthcare providers. He chaired ACOGs national professional liability committee and was instrumental in founding Kansas Medical Mutual Insurance Company, a professional liability company supporting both physicians and hospitals across the state of Kansas. He served as President and Chairman of the Board for KAMMCO. Additionally, he served as Chairman of the Physician’s Insurance Association of America. He was active with the Kansas Healthcare Stabilization Fund and served as chairman. He also assisted his stepdaughter, Katherine Henry, establish Invivo, a professional liability insurance company, in Sydney, Australia and served on her board.

He is survived by his wife, Louise; his sons, Dr. Jeffrey Gleason of Nashville, Tennessee; Dr. Douglas Gleason (Angie) of Topeka, Kansas; stepdaughters, Lisa Ruder (Jim) of San Diego, California; and Katherine Henry (Douglas) of Sydney, Australia; 10 grandchildren, Mary Katherine (Nick) Seago, John Gleason, Laura Gleason, Emily Gleason, Sarah Gleason, Allison (Stephen) Gordon, Michael Ruder, Isabella Henry, McCalla Henry, and Braedon Henry; and great-granddaughter, Halle Gordon. He is preceded in death by his first wife, Mary Ellen “Micke” and son, Michael.

Visitation will be Friday February 3, from 5-7 pm at Penwell-Gable, 1321 SW 10th Avenue. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 10:30 am at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Memorial contributions may be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church at 1275 SW Boswell, Topeka, KS 66604 or to the Women's Fund in care of the Topeka Community Foundation, 5431 SW 29th Street Ste 300, Topeka, Kansas 66614.

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