As Alison's sister and brother in law, we wanted to share our thoughts on John.
John Baillie was one of a very small group of people who actually made the world a better place.
We have known John a long time, obviously as Alison's sister I have known John for some 40 years but Donald met John a bit later. He admits to have been slightly scared of him initially - John had a aura about him and when he talked, you just knew you were in the presence of an incredibly intelligent man. As we got to know him we became aware of his wicked sense of humour, his kindness and extreme generosity, not forgetting his insatiable appetite for midget gems (sports mixture)!
What was very apparent was John's great love for his family, for Alison, Katie and Chris as well of course for Dougal and Lucy. With almost 40 years of married life it shows the depth of their relationship and as a loving husband and father as well as a brother in law and friend, there will be a big space in our lives.

It has already been said by John's friends, family, colleagues and admirers: larger than life, multi-dimensional ( reader, Marshall arts expert, raconteur, student and teacher), and from my personal standpoint, dear friend, fellow traveler, late night confidant-both lamenting the state of politics/medicine/global warming/the continued contraction of airline seat and leg space...
 John, Linda and I will miss you terribly. One only makes a few memorable connections in this life. We are richer for your friendship, poorer by your absence.

Ach what a sadness this is. I think it was Whisky and the West Coast of Scotland we had in common. With others we went to visit the special Islay Kilnave graveyard where his parents were buried. He would come to Argyll and to Islay to be there a few moments with his parents. Visits to Tarbert and then to Campbeltown. One day he came to my village of Skipness in Argyll and stayed overnight …the ‘water of life’ flowed and his visit will never be forgotten.
He was one of these magnificent West Highland characters …a true Ileach, an Islay man made good in the world …in spite of all the difficulties of making a life in the Inner Hebrides…he rose far above all that …an example to us all. My thoughts go out to his family …what a lovely man he was!
An honest man lies here at rest
The friend of man, the friend of truth
The friend of age, and guide of youth.
Few hearts like his with virtue warmed
Few heads with knowledge so informed
If there’s another world, he lives in bliss
If there is none, he made the best of this.
(Robert Burns)

I met Dr. Baillie when I was an intern at Duke in 1993. I remember his quick wit but also his patience and kindness with patients with challenging cases of pancreatitis. He would sit down to listen to them and give them all the time they needed. He also was kind to us as interns and residents and made time to teach. As I went through those early phases of my training, he was so encouraging and ultimately wrote me a letter of recommendation for my GI fellowship application. I was then fortunate to train as a fellow under him. He was such a dynamic person, and he was respectful of patients while also making rounds enjoyable and intellectually challenging. I felt fortunate to know him and to learn from him. He had great influence on so many of us.

My sentiments to his wife and children. I meet John in 2015 when we both moved to Richmond to work at VCU. An energetic, honest, outstanding clinician and endoscopist; but more importantly a individual which was a great pleasure to hang around. He will be missed.

John was a giant in Gastroenterology and meant so much to me personally. John was one of my mentors as a resident and a fellow at Duke. I valued working with John for years as a colleague at Wake Forest. He will continue to be a role model for me in my career. John will be missed, but never forgotten for the tremendous impact he has had on his patients and the Gastroenterology community.

To the Baillie family-
I was very sorry to hear about your loss. John was one my attending physicians on my internal medicine rotation as a Duke med student in the late 1980's. I also pursued a career in GI/advanced endoscopy and eventually returned to NC (albeit at UNC). I would see John over the years at meetings and he always had time for a chat. He will be missed by the GI community!

Dear Alison and family,
 Elizabeth and I were so saddened by this news. As you know, I had the pleasure of getting to know you and John during his recruitment to the Wake GI faculty. John was already a famous gastroenterologist and we were delighted he joined us and you were supportive despite the distance! Of many memories, two popped up in my mind. John gave lectures in the section as did others, but I have never been in so many lectures where my repeated belly laughs turned into bellyaches! He was a master in communication with insightful humor! And I remember you and John drove to Winston-Salem for a GI Christmas party at the Gilliam's. I thought that was so kind and thoughtful, to make the trip, join in, celebrate -and I recall you were a dashing couple in love. We will remember John for all he accomplished but will remember him more for the unique and gifted person he was and shared with us. Ken and Elizabeth

I was privileged to know John for 25 years as a colleague and friend. Although we worked for much of that time for different shades of blue, we shared some patients, collaborated on service to professional societies and for CME events, and became friends. John had an infectious love of life. One experience I had with him comes to mind: John had somehow convinced the sponsors of a CME event in South Carolina that it would be good if he and I flew down for the event in a plane he piloted, as opposed to just driving. So he and I got into an old 2 seater at RDU and started flying down. After what seemed like a turbulent 2 hours (probably was 45 minutes), we got to the airport.  Instead of just putting it down, John decided it would be a good chance to practice touch and goes. I had no idea of what a touch and go was. But I found out over the next half hour, as we went up and down. I actually enjoyed it, mostly because John enjoyed it, and his enthusiasm was infectious.
I will miss his big laugh, his insight, and his love of a well-turned phrase.

To the Family and Friends of John Baillie:
I send you my deepest condolences upon the loss of this remarkable man.
For many years John and I worked together in our Friday morning outpatient clinic. You can learn a lot about a doctor when you witness him taking care of patients. I learned that John was not only a consummate diagnostician, but also a sensitive and compassionate physician. He was also a master teacher fully grounded in the rich history and traditions of our profession. We laughed - a lot. That is how I will remember him.

Dear Alison
Marina an I have been informed just yesterday that John left us. There are no words to express our feeling in this moment, since 20 years of sincere friendship and appreciation of his scientific and academic qualities. We spent a lot of time together, even in vacation; John was our host many times in Italy, where he knew our children Sabrina and Paolo, and we have been hosted by you at your home, were we knew Chris and Katie, when he invited me as visiting professor at Duke university.
Beside these familial moments, in these 20 years we had also several occasions of working together for book chapters and editorials, and I learned a lot from his scientific knowledge.
We never forget John and the wonderful time spent together !!

I met John many years ago and I have a "great" memory of him. I learnt a lot from him.  I will remember every his visit to Como.

It is very difficult to express my feeling as words are not enough to mitigate his loss. I would like to say that John was a good friend and we had a very good time in our courses of the European School of Oncology. He will be always in my heart.

I met John when I began working with Duke GI department. His reputation however preceded him even before we became friends. I had attended meetings where John spoke, and he was certainly a great speaker. I had read his opinions and editorials and was always impressed by the clarity of his writing and research long before I worked with him at Duke.  He was a superb endoscopist and well respected as a teacher and mentor to many trainees in Gastroenterology and Internal Medicine.
John was an amazing typist. He could have had a job as the fastest transcriptionist at Duke. He did have a dry sense of humor. One day, passing by my office, he caught sight my two finger typing technique. He looked for a moment; then asked me, “what are you planning to do with your other 8 fingers”?  John contributed much to our medical profession. He mentored many physicians who now practice throughout the world. His many students today, treat patients, do skilled endoscopy and try to find improved treatments for diseases.
After John left Duke, Barbara and I would enjoy meeting him and Alison for breakfast some of the times he was back in Durham. These breakfasts remain pleasant memories for Barbara and I. The only disagreements John and I would have; is John would always insist that it was his turn to pick up the check.
Martin Poleski MD

I was honored to try and fill his shoes as Associate Editor for Abstracts for GIE. This started a friendship that continued and grew whenever we met over a glass of single malt. His command of the English language and the ability to express his opinion was simply brilliant. Will always remember his desire to be faculty at our DDW course even as he was diagnosed and recuperated from his treatment. Just grateful that he was able to attend and lecture once again on the podium in Chicago.

John was my twin brother.
John was smarter than me at school: he did well in English and Latin and History (I did Technical Drawing and Geography and Math).  I was in ‘slow learner’ streams at Jordanhill College School.  John studied, and had glasses early on.
John got a stethescope as a youngster, and wanted to start a school medical club – although we will never know if this rumour was true.  I remember Christmases at home in Southbrae Drive (Glasgow): I remember summers on the beach at Tangy (Kintyre): but mostly I remember the fun we had, staying with Aunt Margaret in Campbeltown. 
John did well at Glasgow University, with an intercalated degree (with Honors) in Pathology, and commendation on graduating MBChB.  He did house-jobs at the Royal Infirmary, and Victoria Hospitals.  I took longer to get to the same destination, but I was fortunate to share many of his friends and experiences.  Did he influence me in my choice of careers? Probably. But we went separate ways after dad died.  We kept in touch, but not as much as we should have.  John married Alison, and set course for a remarkable career. 
John liked life.  He had a wry wit. He enjoyed flying a small plane, telling stories (& jokes), travel, and seeing the big picture. He was an academic, and achiever and a role model physician. He wrote papers and book chapters, organised conferences and taught fellows.  He was a leader. I once sat beside a stranger on a flight to Kansas, and learning he was medical, I said my brother was a gastroenterologist, Dr Baillie.  “Oh John Baillie!” he replied in a southern drawl.  It’s a small world.
We were not that close, considering we were twins.  I often told people “we are not identical, but he tries to look like me”.  I certainly looked up to him and his achievements. He spent most of his time as an American gastroenterologist, an expert in hepato-biliary work, a hands-on type of guy. 
John didn’t tolerate fools well.  I guess we shared that gene in common.  We valued our Scottish heritage, and our rich clinical training. We had our faults, which made us human. 
If we are valued for the wake of wellbeing we leave behind, John’s ship in life was a supertanker. He made a difference in so many people’s lives: less pain and suffering, more understanding and joy, longer and more productive existence.  I doubt he received the recognition he deserved from all his patients, but certainly his professional society and physician friends saw him as an eagle, or maybe a condor, in the broad flight of medical professionals. 
My last true visit was John was on his 65th birthday.  We went for a walk, and for dinner, with his wife and family.  He had been struck down by a brain cancer, and must have been frustrated by the limitations it bestowed on him.  John was not one who would have accepted these lightly.  Thank God for people like Alison and Chris and Katie and others, who were with him throughout life, and at journey’s end. 
Thank you, John, for all you did, and for your rich legacy of achievement. You will be remembered as a great guy.

I know that I am among many people around the globe who regard John as their ultimate mentor. He undoubtedly was that for me, but he was also so much more. John was a true friend, a confidante, and a source of inspiration. So much mention is made of his infectious humour and personality——and for very good reason. John’s presence in a room was impossible to ignore. His commentary was often hilarious but also insightful and showed his true grasp of complex medical matters.
I will miss John dearly, and he will live strong in my memory as a true icon and legend.
Keep smiling and laughing, John. I, like so many, love you, and you will never be forgotten.
I toasted your memory with my former fellow (now my colleague) last night over a glass of wine and dinner, and even though he had never met you, he recognized the tremendous legacy you left.
“Give me the scope before you make that ampulla look even more like a dog’s dinner”—-JB, many times between 2001 and 2003.
Mike

My favorite memory is about Alison and John. Was 7 or 8 years ago when Alison was at APS and I a volunteer dog walker. Was one of those 'dog days' in July or August. So hot and humid that the dogs didn't even enjoy the walks. Alison's air conditioner at home had quit and couldn't be fixed for a day or two. She advised John,, working in Winston Salem, to stay there at an air conditioned hotel versus coming home. Two words, generous love. we are Baillie fans if there is such a thing. Al & Sue