Douglas E. Sill MD

Douglas Ellwood Sill was born on April 30, 1951 to Ellwood and Margaret Sill in Madelia, Minnesota.  He passed away peacefully at home on December 14, 2022 surrounded by his family.   

Doug attended St. Olaf College where he met his wife Sharon.   He went on to the University of Minnesota Medical School, followed by a Family Practice Residency at St. John’s Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota.   In 1980 Doug joined the Forest Lake Doctors’ Clinic, which later became the Allina Forest Lake Clinic.   During his career he challenged himself with further education, adding Medical Board Certifications in Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine.   Doug practiced in Forest Lake for thirty-one years until his retirement in 2011.  

Doug brought all his energy to whatever endeavor he took on.   He loved being a physician and the ensuing relationships he had with his patients.  It did not matter whether the patients were in Forest Lake or the remote villages of Nepal where he volunteered multiple times.  He was passionate about social justice; political issues; art; music; civil war history and gardening. He also had great fun collecting Santa Clauses.

He loved the outdoors, especially the mountains where he was most at peace.   He trekked, hiked and climbed all over the world including the Western United States and Alaska, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Argentina, Peru, Europe and New Zealand.   Doug took many of these trips with good friends and at least one major international trip separately with each of his children.    He and Sharon also shared a love of experiencing non-western cultures so frequently traveled internationally together.

Doug loved the laughter and camaraderie he shared with his many friends.  His life at Hosanna Lutheran Church formed a very important part of his world as well.   For many years he sang in the choir and played Jesus in Hosanna’s reenactment of the Last Supper.  Of all the many special relationships Doug held, nothing brought him greater joy than being with his family: Sharon, their children, children-in-law and grandchildren.  His love for them and relationships with each nourished his soul.

Doug is survived by Sharon, his wife of 46, years;  children, Justin (Shveta), Nathan (Anne), Adam, Chandra and Zachary (Kelly) and honorary son, Bishal Parajuli;  grandsons, Jackson, Owen, Brooks and Noah;  mother-in-law, Beulah Smestad; brother, David Sill (Lorene); brothers-in-law, Stephen Smestad (Kathy) and Gary Smestad (Brenda); several nieces and nephews; and many life-long friends.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret and Ellwood Sill; father-in-law, Harris Smestad; and nephew, Cody Smestad.

Funeral Services will be held at 4:00 p.m., Monday, December 19, 2022, at Hosanna Lutheran Church, 9300 Scandia Trail North, Forest Lake.  Visitation will be held from 2:00-4:00 p.m., Sunday at the church; continuing one  hour prior to the service on Monday.  For those unable to attend, Doug's service will be livestreamed at  https://www.hosannaforestlake.net/celebration-of-life In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Himalayan Healthcare www.himalayanhealthcare.org   the organization that Doug first volunteered with in Nepal, which focuses on grassroots interventions that directly impact Nepalis living in impoverished and remote mountain areas of Nepal.