J.A. Abildskov was born September 22, 1923 in Salem, Utah, the eldest of three children born to John and Annie Abildskov. He died on August 9.
He married Mary Helen McKell on December 4, 1944 in the Salt Lake Temple.
Abildskov, who went by the nickname Abbie most of his life, received his BA and MD from the University of Utah in 1944 and 1946 before working as an intern at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City from 1947 to 1948. Following a three-year cardiology faculty position at Tulane University, he entered the Army for two years as Chief of Cardiology at William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas. He then joined the cardiology faculty at the State University of New York Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York where he was Professor of Medicine from 1956 to 1968 and began his groundbreaking work on clinical electrocardiography.
In 1968 he returned to Utah. As a Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah\s School of Medicine, he was a key founder and became the longtime director of the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute, which has been internationally recognized for its important contributions to the field of cardiac electrophysiology.
He published widely, served on editorial boards of numerous scientific journals, and was frequently invited to speak at medical conferences around the world. He received many professional honors in his lifetime, including the University of Utah\s Distinguished Research Award in 1976.
Abbie is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Dale, and his oldest daughter, Becky Ann. He is survived by his wife, Mary Helen; three children, Alan (Katy), Mary Karen, and Marilyn (Matt); three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Burial services will be held at Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary, 2350 1300 South, on Saturday, August 19, with a viewing at 10 a.m., followed by a memorial service at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute.
