St. Charles surgeon put his patients at ease

Dr. Martin Gustafson had a knack for putting people at ease -- even if he was about to pull out their wisdom teeth.

"It was just a special gift of his," said his niece, Kristine Johnson, of Lombard.

"He could put people at ease -- whether it was his friends, a new acquaintance, a patient or a fellow professional -- with jokes and all-around kidding."

Gustafson, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon credited with helping build up the dentistry department at Delnor-Community Hospital in Geneva, died Friday of complications from pneumonia and congestive heart failure. He was 67.

A doctoral graduate of Northwestern University, Gustafson, of St. Charles, ran a private practice in Geneva for 34 years before retiring in 2006.

Family said he was instrumental in developing Delnor's dentistry department when the hospital went by a different name and -- as a consultant at Lincoln Park Zoo -- came up with a way to repair damaged turtle shells with dental materials.

Another professional accomplishment was providing surgical services to the Chicago Bulls, Johnson said.

Gustafson also was on staff at Delnor, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Lakeside VA Hospital in Chicago, and was a clinical assistant professor at the Northwestern Medical School. His patients came from across the Fox Valley, including Elgin and Aurora, to have teeth extracted, jaws rebuilt and mouth cancers treated.

Johnson, who worked alongside Gustafson on and off for several years, said her uncle's passion for the medical profession inspired her to become certified as an operating room nurse. "He was so gracious with patients, and the surgery was exacting and precise," she said.

Outside of work, Gustafson enjoyed hunting, sailing and fishing. He was a member of numerous sport clubs across the suburbs.

Though he never married or had children, Gustafson was a family man who treated dozens of nieces and nephews as if they were his own children, Johnson said: "He was always the life of the family."