Dr. John J. Herbst, Sr.

John Joseph Herbst, MD passed away on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, in Essex, Connecticut at age 90. John was born on July 18, 1935, in Cincinnati, Ohio to Harry George Herbst and Franziska Brueggemann Herbst who, along with his wife Diana, daughter Melissa and brother Harry, preceded him in death.

John was passionate about his career in pediatric gastroenterology. He received his medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, completed his residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in pediatric gastroenterology at Stanford University. He served as Chair of Pediatrics at Louisiana Health Sciences Center in Shreveport 1986-1991 and continued to care for his patients until his retirement in 2017. He most enjoyed caring for his patients, advancing scientific knowledge in the field, and training the next generation of physicians. John, along with his wife Diana, placed high value on education and provided funding support for several family members’ advanced education as well as establishing the Diana and John Herbst Professorship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at LSU. John was also an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed camping, ATVing, and hunting and continued to enjoy these activities well into his 80’s.

John is survived by his son John Jr., his daughter-in-law Kathy, his grandchildren Matt and Marianne, and his bother Thomas as well as several nieces and nephews, all of whom enjoyed his dry sense of humor, extensive knowledge of history, and skill of repairing almost anything with duct tape.

A funeral mass will be held on 11:00am on Saturday, April 18th at Santa Catalina Catholic Church in Tucson, Arizona.

In lieu of Flowers, charitable donations can be made to support the Diana and John Herbst Endowed Professorship at the LSU Health Sciences Foundation in Shreveport. Donations can be made via check, remitted to LSU Health Sciences Foundation in Shreveport with "Herbst" in the memo line, and mailed to 920 Pierremont Rd, Suite 506, Shreveport, LA 71106. Alternatively, they can be made online at www.lsuhsfoundation.org/herbst.  To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.

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