Well-respected orthopedic surgeon and former chair of the orthopedic department at Lafayette Home Hospital, Gilbert Gutwein, M.D., passed away at the age of 89 on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Dr. Gutwein was the orthopedic chairman at Lafayette Home Hospital, founded in 1894 by the Sisters of Saint Francis Medical Service, for 22 years. He also served on the staff of St. Elizabeth Hospital. He took on many leadership roles over the years at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Indiana State Medical Association, Indiana Orthopedic Society, and the American Medical Association.
Gutwein earned his medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine and then moved to Akron, Ohio, where he completed both his internship and residency at Akron General Medical Center.
He was born on Tuesday, March 22, 1934, in Francesville, Indiana, to Adam Gutwein and Lydia Albrecht Gutwein. He grew up with his siblings, Margaret, Harold, Adam, Jr., Erven, Adeline, and Elvira in a large and busy family.
He graduated from Francesville High School and then served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1958. He had suffered from Crohn’s Disease for most of his life.
Gutwein married Mary Jo McKinney on April 17, 1971, in Otterbein Indiana. They raised six children during their 52 years of marriage: Andrew, Peter, Chip, Heidi, Melissa Gwin, and Rebecca Wilcox.
Besides his passion for medicine, he loved woodworking and working the Indiana State Fair Pioneer Village. He was an Eagle Scout and when he got older, he also loved to travel, spending time in Germany, Switzerland, Vienna, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mongolia, and China. He even visited his family’s homeland in Austria/Hungary.
Gutwein is predeceased by his mother and father and his siblings: Margaret Leman, Harold, Adam, Jr., Erven, and his daughter Heidi.
He leaves behind his other children as well as his sisters Adeline Frey and Elvira Lamp. He also leaves behind his nine grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
