Johnnie L. Yocham, CPO/L, passed away October 26. He was 74 years old.
Yocham was born and raised in Bixby, Oklahoma, on January 6, 1940. He received his GED and joined the U.S. Army. While stationed in Germany, he met his wife, Gisela, whom he married on October 24, 1962.
Yocham started practicing O&P in 1965 while serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. He established and taught in the orthotic specialist course for the Army’s Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The course he set up was accredited by the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics. He was honorably discharged in 1978 after serving 20 years. He continued his O&P career, working for the South Texas Veterans Health Care Center, San Antonio, and other area O&P patient care facilities. Most recently he worked at Advanced Orthopedic Designs, San Antonio. According to an online obituary, “He was well known in the industry. His patients, coworkers, and students loved him. He really enjoyed working with his hands, helping people, and fishing.”
Kevin Matthews, CO/L, owner of Advanced
Orthopedic Designs wrote the following in an OANDP-L listserv post: “I met Johnnie [when I was] a young Army recruit in 1982. He was the primary instructor of the orthotic specialist course…. Our paths intertwined over the years, and he spent the last few working with me. I loved and respected the man, who he was, and what he stood for.”
Yocham is survived by his wife; sons Johnny Ray and Steven; and grandchildren Jeremy, Mitchell, and Devin.
