John M. Canakaris, for more than half a century identified with family medicine, Flagler County’s first hospital and, more recently, a free and busy health clinic for the poor, died Monday night at his home in Bunnell. He was 90. He had chaired the free clinic’s board meeting as recently as October, almost 10 years after discovering that retirement—at 77—was not for him: he re-opened his family practice in 2003, after a four-year hiatus.
“I enjoyed my retirement, but I have so many old friends and patients asking me to return,” the man everyone knew as either Dr. John or Dr. Canakaris said at the time.
His death, while neither a surprise nor a shock, was nevertheless an immense loss to those who knew him because his impact on Bunnell and beyond had never waned: he had delivered more than 3,000 babies and performed thousands of surgeries in his prime, and continued caring for thousands of patients long past his prime, many of them at no charge, to this day. Humanitarianism was an old habit for Canakaris, who as a young doctor in a rural and often poor county was willing to accept from his patients alternative forms of payment, if any, for his services.
Canakaris left his fingerprints, albeit in the most sterile ways of medicine, on two generations of Flagler County residents: he took Malo’s appendix, for example, and set Elbert Tucker’s hand when he broke it playing football during a Friday night high school game. Tucker, the Bunnell city commissioner, owns Tucker Insurance. “He’s helped a lot of people over the years. Sorry to hear he passed, but he was an icon in Flagler County, no doubt about it,” Tucker said.
The day he broke his hand, Canakaris was on the sidelines. There wouldn’t be an X-ray until Monday, but Canakaris knew it was broken (and it was). “He was a confident character. He always had an air of confidence about him, he was a likable person. I liked him, but I like most everybody,” Tucker said.
And he mended people in other ways, as he would Sisco Deen, another man whose name is synonymous with the county’s history (he is the archive curator for the Flagler County Historical Society, though he is a generation younger than Canakaris), and whose mother worked for the doctor. “Boys being boys,” Deen said, “and me being a young teen without a male adult in the house, I was sometimes hauled off to Bunnell for Dr. John to discuss with me the errors of my ways.”
”He was the only doctor in town for a lot of years,” Barbara Revels, the county commissioner and owner of Coquina Real Estate and Construction in Flagler Beach, said. “He treated my mother in the early years, and of course my first job in high school was working in the hospital for him and one of the doctors. He provided free care for many years, and then he carried on in that tradition with Dr. Carter,” and the free clinic. That’s Morris Carter, who is also still practicing (he puts in two days a week at the Flagler County Health Department in Bunnell, on a street named for him. Canakaris, too, has a street named after him in Bunnell).
“I came here in ‘04, very quickly he came by to meet me and was very engaging,” says Patrick Johnson, the health department’s administrator. “I thought it was interesting that he came by to meet me. Soon after that he came by with Faith to talk about their free clinic concept. Since then my dealings with him have been related primarily to the free clinic.”
“What was interesting about Dr. Canakaris ,” Johnson said, “is obviously how he was still engaged in everything. Over the years it amazed me, he was in his shirt and tie and showing up at the free clinic and showing up at meetings,” down to his last in October. “In terms of longevity, maybe the ideal way is to have a healthy and productive life for as long as possible, and then have a short debilitation at the end. He did fall and fracture a hip this year but he recovered very well. However he died very naturally last night. I tell you what. That’s how I’d like it to happen with me.”
John Michael Canakaris was born on Jan. 23, 1922, in Waterloo, Iowa, northeast of Des Moines, the son of Michael John and Gilmina Canakaris. With his bride Elaine, he had one son, Ronald Emanuel “Ronnie” Canakaris, born May 22, 1944. His second marriage was to Georgia King. Their son, John Michael Canakaris Jr, was born around 1978. Dr. Canakaris got his medical training at Kansas City University and interned for a year in Chicago and another year at Brewster hospital in Jacksonville, where he specialized in obstetrics and gynecology. He arrived in Bunnell in 1950. His small Bunnell General Hospital turned into Community Hospital of Bunnell, which was then acquired by Hospital Corporation of America before becoming Memorial Hospital Flagler. In 2002, the hospital moved to its current location on State Road 100, as Florida Hospital Flagler.
FlaglerLive is grateful for the assistance of Sisco Deen, FlaglerLive’s historical consultant, in the preparation of this article and its illustrations.
Kathy Arnold Bucek says
RIP Dr Canakaris
Shane Wood says
How sad :( Prayers to his family, RIP Dr. John…
Susan Gorski says
RIP
GoodFella says
Dr Canakaris was a true gentleman. He was a family friend for many years. It is sad to see him go!!! R.I.P.
Broccoli Rob says
That’s what I call “leaving a legacy.” Well done Good Doctor… A life spent helping people!
Bravo to Dr. Canakaris. Not soon to be forgotten.
Sue Dickinson says
So many memories and stories You served Flager County for so many years. You gave me the opportunity to many nursing opportunities that otherwise would not have been available. You will certainly be missed. RIP.
Profiler says
RIP Dr. John…..there are so many memories…
confidential says
We just lost our icon and outstanding friend of our community. The Almighty keep you by his side Dr. Canarakis.
Perry Mitrano says
Just a local story to share:
I met the Doctor for the first time just the other day in our Bunnell city offices. I drive the street named after him about 10 times a day but never met him before and often wondered and wanted to know more about him as I pass the old hospital. (nice article Flagler Live)
When you consider this pioneer’s work in our community and the number of babies he delivered anyone can realize now that history was being born each and everytime.
Well as I was saying,
I met him for the first time, he stuck out his had to shake mine first, imagine that. What a gentleman. He had that warming personality that makes you feel good (always the good doctor I suppose) and I’m honored to have met him for the first and last time those few days ago.
Rest in peace Dr. Canakaris and thank you for your help in shaping Bunnell and Flagler County.
Charles Gardner says
He was a gentleman and a scholar. My office was adjacent to his for several years. He was one of my best clients.
Deep South says
Dr. John was my first doctor. R.I.P. Dr. John
Suzie Peterson says
My Mother, Etta Peterson worked side by side with Dr. John as a nurse when he only had a 4 bed hospital, and for 20+ years thereafter. I worked at the “first old” hospital in the x-ray dept. He, his employees and patients were all like family. He was ALWAYS there anytime we needed him for anything. He was one of those people that you thought would be around forever. He was a leader of so many things, not just medicine. Heartfelt prayers and condolences to his family and every one that will miss him.
Linda says
I never met him, but appreciate this apparently well-deserved tribute to him. We could use more people on this planet that are like him.
April says
I worked with Dr. John in the original Bunnell General Hospital and we shared many “great” times. RIP Dr. John and thank you for saving so many lives while you were here.
Christina Pinto says
I remember Dr. John delivered my baby sister at his hospital in 1976. Thank you for your commitment and caring for all of his community. Thank you so much for everything. RIP. You will be greatly missed. Our prayers are with your prayer family during this difficult time.
Michelle Cavanaugh says
Dr. John Canakaris had a heart of gold. We were blessed to work with him for several years when he re-opened his private practice after retiring. He always put his patients first. He shared many stories of how Flagler county and more importantly, Bunnell, had evolved to the community it is today. He took great pride in that and was humble of his role with it. He definitely left his mark on this world. Our thoughts and prayers are with Georgia at this time.
Michelle Cavanaugh, Owner of Proclaims Medical Billing.
Donnie Riddle says
Dr.John will be greatly missed by the people in flagler county. He made so many contributions to our community during his many years with us. I have been lucky most of my life health wise but Dr. John sure patched me up plenty when i was younger. He was always a class act. Our prayers are with his family. R.I.P. Doc you will never be forgotten.
Deb says
I worked with Dr John for many years in surgery as a scrub tech. It was was my first job as a tech and he gave me a chance – he was not so sure he wanted to hire me because he thought I was too young. It was the first time he hired a surgical tech, actually the first surgical tech ever hired in Flagler County. I learned so much from him and I loved working with him. I would see him off and on throughout the years and always reminded him he taught m everyhting I know and he would just beam with pride. He is truly a rare jewel in the crown of Flagler history. RIP you wonderful man.
JosephMack King, Jr. says
I cannot begin to tell you just how much John anakaris meant to me..
Over the years, as a child with chronic adthma, I spent many trips to the emergency room, and he would get me breathing, in a world that was not asthma friendly, and little was known abour treatment. But Dr. John would ad lib, and it always worked.
I spent almost a solid year, with some weekends off, for him to treat me for a bleeding ulcer, which was also not friendly in that day and age, but by God, he fixed it!
I also went through a bout of pneumonia that lasted off and on for almost a year, and of course, he fixed that too.
No one really knows how truly remarkable this man was….my sister Gwen got her hand in my Grandmothers wringer washer, and it tore her little finger and the next one almost completely off. My grandmother of course lived in Haw Creek, she wrapped Gwens hand up in a towel of ice, and headed for Bunnell. Doctor John put her hand back together, and did physical therapy himself on her three times a week. To this day (2020) she has full useof yhe hand, No Scars! A truly amazing man.
I was proud to have him as a Doctor, and even prouder to have him as a friend. I have lived in Hillsborough County for pretty close to 40 years now, but he and I stayed in touch until his parting in 2012.
All I have to say is John, you did a great job for all who came to you, and l miss our conversations, and l miss you. Iknow where you are, and old friend, l will see yousometime in the not so distant future.
Thank God for a man like you.
Your old friend,
Mack King, Jr.
Donna oWENS says
Hello
I came across this today it has been so many years,
My son went to school with their son Johm ,,,,,, , I wished to contact him or if anyone knows his where about would you be so kind as to have him contact me,
My son died a couple months ago,,,,,,,, just thought young John would like to know,
This family was wonderful to us ,the boys flourished ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
My name is Donna Underood OWens my email is vtanimalwhisperer1@my fairpoint,net
So sadden by the loss of one remarkable human