Richard Sletten, MD, a co-founder of Twin Cities Orthopedics, died Aug. 13 at 82 years old, according to the Star Tribune.
Dr. Sletten died of a heart attack at his home in North Oaks, Minn.
He and two other physicians co-founded Minneapolis-based TCO in the late 1960s. The practice grew to become one of the largest orthopedic practices in the country, with three dozen locations and 110 physicians.
Born in Minneapolis, Dr. Sletten traveled to Africa, Taiwan and Ecuador on medical missions throughout his career, performing surgeries from sunrise until the generators kicked off in the evening.
Dr. Sletten had five children. One of his daughters, Elizabeth Sutton, told the Star Tribune "it was amazing how many people referred to him as their best friend and brother" when they were notified about his death. She described her father as gentle and humble.
Dr. Sletten graduated from Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota Medical School, both in Minneapolis. For two years, he served as a flight surgeon at a South Dakota air base, attaining the rank of captain.
Dr. Sletten spent three decades practicing in Robbinsdale, Minn., before his retirement in 2000.