“Jon Brower Minnoch’s incredible weight loss journey, shedding hundreds of pounds and overcoming extreme challenges to transform his health and life.”
Jon Brower Minnoch Introduction:
| Full Name : Jon Brower Minnoch |
| Age : September 29, 1941 |
| Death : September 4, 1983 (Aged 41) |
| Place of birth : Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Place of Death : Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Profession : Taxi Driver |
| Children : 2 |
About (Jon Brower Minnoch)
Jon Brower Minnoch (September 29, 1941 – September 4, 1983) was an American individual recognized as the heaviest person ever recorded, reaching a weight of approximately 1,400 lb (635 kilograms; 100 stone) at his highest. He struggled with obesity from a young age, typically weighing between 800 and 900 lb (363 to 408 kilograms; 57 to 64 stone) during his adult life. Minnoch operated a taxi service and worked as a driver in Bainbridge Island, Washington. In an effort to reduce his weight, Minnoch adhered to a diet of 600 kcal (2,500 kJ) per day as prescribed by his physician. Consequently, he became bedridden for nearly three weeks before consenting to hospitalization in March 1978. The transport to the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle required the assistance of over a dozen firefighters. Upon examination, doctors identified him as suffering from severe edema, with an endocrinologist estimating his weight at around 1,400 lb (635 kilograms; 100 stone). His medical team subsequently placed him on a 1,200 kcal (5,000 kJ) daily diet, leading to a remarkable weight loss of over 900 lb (408 kg; 64 st) during his approximately two-year hospital stay, marking the largest recorded weight loss for a human at that time. After his discharge, Minnoch regained a significant portion of the weight and passed away in September 1983, weighing close to 800 lb (363 kg; 57 st) at the time of his death. His burial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Seattle required two plots to accommodate his casket.
Life (Jon Brower Minnoch)
Minnoch’s Early Life and Family Background
Minnoch was born in 1941 in Seattle, Washington, to parents John Minnoch and June (née Brower). At birth, he weighed around 7 pounds (3 kg; 1 st). During his infancy, his family relocated from Seattle to an apartment within a hotel in Bellingham. He was raised as an only child. His father, a machinist, passed away from a heart attack in 1962. Minnoch’s mother, a graduate of Seattle Pacific University, served as a registered nurse at Providence Hospital and later took on the role of a telephone operator. She passed away in 1986, three years following her son’s death. Minnoch’s paternal grandfather, Peter, originally from Scotland, emigrated to Ogden City, Utah, in 1876 as part of the Latter-Day Saints movement.
Education:
Minnoch’s entry in the 1958 senior yearbook of Bothell High School highlights his lifelong struggle with obesity. From a young age, he faced significant weight challenges, weighing 294 pounds (133 kilograms; 21.0 stone) at just 12 years old. By the age of 22, his weight had increased to 392 pounds (178 kilograms; 28.0 stone), and by 1963, he reached a weight of 700 pounds (320 kilograms; 50 stone). Throughout his life, Minnoch typically weighed between 800 and 900 pounds (363 to 408 kilograms; 57 to 64 stone) and stood at a height of 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters). His body fat percentage was approximately 80%. Minnoch attributed his obesity primarily to water retention; however, British obesity expert David Haslam argued that this water retention was a result of his extreme weight rather than its cause. In spite of his condition, Minnoch endeavored to lead a normal life, asserting that he was “in no way handicapped.” He attended Bothell High School and worked as a water taxi driver for 17 years. In 1963, he married Jean McArdle, and together they operated Bainbridge Island Taxi Co., the sole taxi service on the island at that time. Friends described Minnoch as a “warm and funny family man.” Notably, in March 1978, he weighed 12 times more than his wife, who weighed 110 pounds (50 kilograms; 8 stone), setting a record for the largest weight difference between a married couple. Minnoch and McArdle divorced in 1980, and he later married Shirley Ann Griffen in 1982, with whom he had two sons, John and Jason.
weight loss journey
Hospitalizations and death
Minnoch ultimately reached a point of exhaustion with his weight, prompting him to significantly reduce his food consumption to nearly nothing. Following a physician’s guidance, he adopted a restrictive diet consisting of only 600 calories per day, primarily from vegetables. Additionally, he consumed substantial amounts of a diuretic, which proved ineffective in removing the excess fluid from his body. After approximately three weeks of debilitating weakness and confinement to bed, he heeded his wife’s urgent requests to seek medical attention. In March 1978, Minnoch was admitted to the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, where he presented with heart and respiratory failure. Firefighters had to remove a window from his residence and transport him on a sturdy piece of plywood, as he was unable to move or communicate. The operation required the efforts of over a dozen firefighters and rescue personnel, along with a specially designed stretcher. Upon arrival at the hospital, he was accommodated on two beds placed side by side, necessitating the assistance of thirteen attendants to reposition him.
Minnoch’s gravestone bears the inscription:
Minnoch’s gravestone bears the inscription: “Beloved Husband, Father and Friend.” During his time at the hospital, he was diagnosed with severe edema, a condition characterized by the accumulation of excess extracellular fluid in the body. Due to his deteriorating health, weighing him on a scale was not feasible. Endocrinologist Robert Schwartz estimated his weight to be approximately 1,400 lb (635 kilograms; 100 stone). Schwartz noted that Minnoch was likely even heavier, stating he was “by at least 300 pounds the heaviest person ever reported,” and remarked that “probably the most unusual thing about [Minnoch’s] case was that he lived.” His peak body mass index (BMI) reached 186 kg/m², and he spent several days on a respirator. In April 1978, his medical condition was described as “critical.” Schwartz indicated that Minnoch exhibited symptoms of Pickwickian syndrome, a condition where inadequate breathing leads to elevated carbon dioxide levels in the bloodstream. Minnoch remained hospitalized for two years, during which he was placed on a daily diet of 1,200 kcal (5,000 kJ). Upon his discharge, he weighed 476 lb (216 kg; 34 st), having lost an unprecedented 924 lb (419 kg; 66 st), marking the largest documented weight loss for a human at that time. He expressed a desire to eventually reach a weight of around 210 lb (95 kilograms; 15 stone), stating, “I’ve waited 37 years to get this chance at a new life.” However, he soon began to regain weight. Just over a year later, in October 1981, he was readmitted to the hospital after his weight surged to 952 lb (432 kg; 68 st), having gained 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st) in just a week. He passed away 23 months later on September 4, 1983, at the age of 41, weighing 798 lb (362 kg; 57 st) at the time of his death. His death certificate listed cardiac arrest as the immediate cause of death, with respiratory failure and restrictive lung disease as contributing factors. He was interred in a wooden casket made of 3/4 inch (20 mm) thick plywood, lined with cloth, which occupied two cemetery plots.
