Ivan Wayne Sletten
March 9, 1929 — January 30, 2014
Ivan W. Sletten, Psychiatrist and Champion of Social Responsibility
Dr. Ivan Wayne Sletten died on January 30, 2014 of complications from pneumonia and related health issues. He was 84 years old and was born on March 9, 1929.
Back in the 1960s, Ivan Sletten was part of pioneering work with electronic data processing for psychiatric disorders at the Missouri Institute of Psychiatry in St. Louis, Missouri.
He would go on in private practice for two decades, serving with compassion many patients in St. Louis, Missouri and Stillwater, Minnesota.
He practiced in Stillwater, Minnesota until his retirement in 2013 at age 83.
Dr. Sletten was a champion of the less fortunate in this world. For decades he supported those who worked for social justice. In the last 15 years in Minnesota he focused on injustices in the criminal justice system, especially on drug law reform. He also provided financial support for research on multiple sclerosis.
“With malice toward none, and charity for all…..”, from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, were the words he lived by every day of his life.
He is survived by four children, Ingrid, Paul, Karen and Mark, his sister Loretta Wittig and eight fabulous grandchildren: Nick, Kate , Arthur, Lucas, Lilly, Gwen, Morgan and Evan. His beloved wife Grace Lorraine Sletten (Zastrow) preceded him in death in 2005.
His children wish to acknowledge their love and appreciation for his cherished companion, Marie Buttrey, who made the last years of his life full of joy and fun.
Dr. Sletten graduated from the University of Wisconsin medical school in 1955. He took his training in psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. He published more than 100 articles in his lifetime, and was a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Dr. Sletten received many awards in his lifetime for social causes. These organizations include NAMI, American Psychiatric Association, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Multiple Sclerosis Society.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, July 5, 2014 at Chetek Lutheran Church. Family and friends may gather one hour prior to the service. Dr. Sletten will be laid to rest along side his wife at Lake View Cemetery following the service.
Donations may be made to NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) Minnesota, www.nami.org or by mail 800 Transfer Road, #31, St. Paul, MN 55114.