Widely recognized as the beloved voice of Oakstone’s MKSAP Audio Companion, Dr. Donald L. Deye, MD, FACP, passed away July 18, 2024, at his home in Grantsburg, WI.

In 2022, we interviewed Don about what compelled him to become an internist — despite his great fascination with music and early career as a disc jockey.

Dr. Deye was enamored with the doctors at Community Memorial Hospital in Winona, MN, where he worked during high school. He said they were “incredibly wonderful role models, who were smart, happy, funny, and clearly loved their patients.”

When he was 16, he stumbled across an abandoned internal medicine textbook, and did what few teens would do —started reading. He was hooked.

Don graduated from Valparaiso University in 1972, then was accepted as a member of the charter class of Mayo Medical School. Following a 3-year internal medicine residency at Mayo, Dr. Deye joined a family medicine practice in Cambridge, MN, and stayed for the entirety of his career.

“Patients who were 50 years old when I met them are now in their 90s, and it’s like hanging out with old friends,” said Don. “We know each other quite well. And every now and then, I do something that might save a life and patients thank me for it. Those kinds of emotional bonds are the most rewarding.”

In the early 1980s, Dr. Deye leveraged his love for broadcasting, joining Oakstone as a contributor to Practical Reviews, Oakstone’s audio journal summary subscription service. Don served as creator, editor, and host of the MKSAP Audio Companion, logging thousands of hours of clinician interviews since its inception in 1999.

When asked about his formula for creating quality content, Don chuckled. “We tell bad jokes. We try to throw them in about every 15 minutes. It’s a little like a slot machine — if you keep playing, eventually you’ll win something. It’s the same with the MKSAP Audio Companion. You know eventually another joke will come along, and it makes the experience a little more fun and keeps people listening. For me, that’s an important part of the learning experience.”

Dr. Deye’s leadership, keen insight, and endearing sense of humor were integral to the development and success of the Audio Companion, Practical Reviews, and so much more during his 43-year tenure at Oakstone. He was truly a member of our family, and he will be greatly missed. While Don’s voice may have been quieted, his impact will echo on.

See our video tribute to Don here.