Obituary of John William Hautala

Dr. John William Hautala died unexpectedly in his Olympia, Washington home on August 21, 2020.  John was born in Longview, Washington, and graduated from Mark Morris High School in 1984 where his love of science convinced him he would become a physician.  He fulfilled that dream, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Pacific Lutheran University before attending medical school at the University of Washington.  Thereafter, he specialized in emergency medicine through a residency program in Lansing, Michigan, and has worked as a board-certified emergency physician ever since, the last several years being at Mason General Hospital in Shelton, Washington.

John was a very generous man.  He once loaned his private car to the family of one of his patients to go see their loved one being flown to Seattle by Helicopter.  John was the “go to” guy for all things tech support, making house calls to friends and family to troubleshoot their computer problems, or treat whatever medical condition was occurring so to save them a trip to the ER.  He sutured wounds, splinted limbs, and treated countless infections over the years. 

John leaves behind his wife, Sally (Park) Hautala; three children, Carter, Kady, and Sarah; his parents, Jim and Marion; two brothers, Jeff and Jason; a niece, Jeanette; his in-laws, Gloria, Wayne, and Terri; a large extended family; and countless friends and co-workers who will surely miss his quick wit.

As of now, there are no services planned due to Covid 19. There will be a celebration of life next year when people can again come together and share their memories of John.  

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to The Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties, 1910 East 4th Ave., PMB #87, Olympia, WA 98506-4632; to donate online, go to http://www.crisis-clinic.org/Donate.php.

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