Family and friends say goodbye to Doc Sisler

Stories swirl at a celebration of life for Dr. David Sisler.|

They came to praise and honor David “Doc” Sisler.

A gathering of family, friends, patients and community members braved a hot summer afternoon Saturday afternoon for a celebration of the life of Dr. David Sisler.

Sisler died on March 1 at age 91 after a long career as a family practitioner, horseman and Petaluma High School booster.

With 11 children and an extended family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, not to mention the hundreds of friends and admirers in the community, it took awhile to make arrangements for the gathering to remember his many contributions to the community and his very special personality.

It happened Saturday afternoon on the Petaluma High School football field where he had spent literally hundreds of Friday nights caring and rooting for Trojan players.

Several family members and friends spoke of their memories of a man they described as warm, generous, professional and plainspoken.

After the official program, everyone adjourned to the cool of several tents set up to display some of the possessions that defined Sisler’s life - a favorite saddle, his well-used golf clubs, a book by Louis L’Amour, his Petaluma High School Hall of Fame jacket, a familiar sight at Trojan football games, and, of course, pictures.

There were pictures of him with family, friends, patients, football players and coaches. In each photo, his face was lit with the twinkling smile that marked his zest for life, unless a Trojan pass had just been intercepted.

Several of his children spoke of how much he cared for his family and how much he influenced their lives. Said son Jon Sisler, who followed his father into medicine, “Every single decision I’ve made was pretty much influenced by my dad.”

He echoed the thoughts of many when he said, “I have spent 40 years as a practicing physician and met a lot of doctors. Dr. David Sisler is the best doctor I’ve ever met.”

Petaluma physical therapist Rick Susick, who spent 12 years on the Petaluma High sidelines with Sisler, agreed. “He was not only my friend, he was my doctor,” Susick said. “He had probably forgotten more about medicine than I ever learned.”

Susick also spoke about the always friendly, but blunt and straight-talking Sisler, who was never afraid to express his opinions, often in colorful language.

He verified that the urban legend of Sisler telling a slightly injured player that he was going to be fine because his injury was a long way from his heart was indeed true.

Petaluma High football coach Steve Ellison, a Sisler admirer and friend for 40 years, in a statement read by School Board Member Mike Baddeley, explained that when a young athlete was really hurt, there was no one better than Sisler.

“I never questioned Doc because of his professionalism,” Ellison said in his prepared statement. “Our players had the best medical care of any high school.”

“He was my hero - the one person I could talk to about anything,” said daughter Beth Molinari. “He was the most honest man I’ve ever met.”

Often, that honesty came with Sisler’s own brand of humor.

Molinari recalled that, later in life as the number of people he knew increased and his memory faded a bit, he would greet someone he was having a hard time recalling with, “I am Doctor Sisler, and I assume you know who the hell you are.”

Father, grandfather, great-grandfather, family doctor, friend, horseman, athlete football fan, advisor, Petaluma High physician and football tactician and so much more, Dr. David Sisler lived a long life that was well worth remembering and celebrating.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.