US Army National Guard veteran
TEWKSBURY — Douglas D. Sjostrom, age 74, of Tewksbury, formerly of Wakefield died Monday, November 27 at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
Born in Arlington, MA on May 7, 1949, he was the son of the late Elmer P. and Dorothy (Caldwell) Sjostrom. Doug grew up in Wakefield and graduated from Wakefield High School in 1967. He served 6 years in the US Army National Guard during the Vietnam War.
Following completion of national service, Doug joined Dyonics in Andover as one of their initial employees. Founded in 1969, acquired in 1986 by Smith-Nephew, Dyonics was an early leader in creating the medical instrumentation that enabled surgery to be done via tiny incisions. This revolution in surgical practice reduced pain, enabled faster recovery and either shortened hospital stays or eliminated them entirely.
A self-described autodidact, Doug rose to the position of Principal Engineer at Smith-Nephew. He routinely collaborated with preeminent surgeons, one of whom described Doug as a true pioneer in the orthopedic surgery industry. Doug holds 42 patents for innovative medical devices, one of which is for an arthroscopic surgical device that was listed in a professional journal as one of the top 10 life changing medical devices of the 1980s.
A modern-day renaissance man and polymath, Doug enjoyed music and teaching himself to play keyboard instruments while building a pipe organ from scratch into his home. He maintained a full machine shop in his basement. He restored a 1957 MGA and won awards in antique auto shows. An avid outdoorsman, he surfed the Atlantic in his early years with Linda, the love of his life. He mastered fly fishing and enjoyed sharing a lake home in New Hampshire with his siblings.
He was proud of his nieces and nephews and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with them as they grew. He accompanied Linda on many cruises, including circumnavigation of the world. He was happiest when they arrived at a new destination to explore.
He was the beloved husband of Linda (Barczak) Sjostrom, with whom he shared life for 32 years. He was the brother of Robert N. Sjostrom and his wife Linda of Melrose; Wendy Sjostrom and her husband Jim Sheimo of North Reading; and the late Peter Sjostrom and his surviving wife Judith of Wakefield, NH.
Doug wished for his final services to be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Doug’s name to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in Methuen, MA. Arrangements were made through McDonald Funeral Home, Wakefield. For the online guestbook and directions, please visit www.mcdonaldfs.com.
