Obituary of Dr. Edward John (Jack) Bardon

Dr. Edward (Jack) Bardon: 1933 - 2023                      

Born May 19, 1933, Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Edward A. Bardon and Rosemarie Kreyer Bardon.

Died December 18, 2023, aged 90 years

Married Jane Scheer Bardon in 1955

Dr. Jack Bardon was a life-long Minnesotan who explored and treasured the northern environment where he was born and educated. He travelled the world, but Minnesota was always his home. It is here, in the frozen north, that he practiced medicine, raised his family, retired from paid work, and left this earthly life

Dr. Bardon earned a BA and an MD degree from the University of Minnesota. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the VA Hospital in Saint Paul, MN. He was a Professor of Psychiatry in the University of Minnesota Medical School, where he supervised psychiatry residents and psychology doctoral candidates and gave seminars on psychiatry to other physicians. He treated patients at Boynton Health at the University of Minnesota for 35 years, and was known among University faculty, staff and students for his kindness and empathy. During the “sixties,” he was often referred to as the “hippie-doctor.”

Following his retirement in 1995, Dr. Bardon volunteered as a Docent at Walker Art Center, and as a class leader at OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute). He also published two books: “The Sexual Arena and Women’s Liberation,” and “The Knowledge Drive.” He was a ”street-photographer” who shared his work in local exhibits and earned several fellowships. The Bardons (Jack and Jane) served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Central Asia from 2003 to 2005. They taught public health (in Turkmen and Russian) at a village clinic and compiled a Three-Language Medical Dictionary. Their volunteer service led to a lifetime commitment to Peace Corps and support of the Minnesota Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and the National Peace Corps Association. The Bardons have travelled to all seven continents, and over 120 countries, Their trips included homestays and volunteering through Friendship Force International.

Dr. Bardon’s greatest pride was his six children: Athena, Lisa (Peter), Eric, Mark, Karl (Jane H.), and Ellie (Blair). He taught them to be honest, caring, and curious, and to embrace an outdoors life – hiking, skiing, snow-shoeing, swimming, bird-watching, exploring, and camping in tents in all seasons. In 1976, he organized them into a skilled construction team to cut down and process trees and build a log cabin on family land in the Northwoods of Minnesota. The land is now protected by the Minnesota Land Trust.

Dr. Bardon is survived by his wife, Jane, and their six children, seven grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, plus his sister, Charlotte (Tom), and her family.

A Celebration of Life for Dr. Bardon will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024, at 2:30 PM, at the Silverwood Park Great Hall, 2500 County Road E, Saint Anthony, MN 55421.

Memorial donations in honor of Dr. Bardon may be sent to the Peace Corps Commemorative Foundation, Attn: Glenn Blumhorst, 3601 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Ste. 504, Washington, DC 20008.

In deepest gratitude to Jack’s children, grandchildren, sister, niece, and the nurses and aides from Allina Health and Morning Glory who cared for him with great kindness during his final illness. JsB