The Katikati community is mourning the loss of one of the town's medical centre founders after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Dr Jeffrey Brendan Friis died at Bob Owens Retirement Village Hospital on Wednesday. He was 69-years-old.

Dr Jeffrey Brendan Friis, inset, is the founder of the Katikati Medical Centre. Photo: www.katikati.co.nz

Jeff, as he was commonly known, had been a familiar part of the Katikati community as both a doctor and friendly face to many.

In 1978, he opened his solo general practice from home where for the next four years, with the help of an Irish nurse, looked after the community. His lounge was the waiting room and he used a bedroom as the consulting room.

'Patients could smell what I was cooking for dinner. One of my patients used to count the cars outside my home surgery,” Jeff wrote in an article originally penned for the Katikati Advertiser, and now on katikati.co.nz.

'If there was more than 10 cars, she would have her husband deliver a gourmet dinner on a silver tray to me, a sort of upmarket ‘meals on wheels'.”

Though it wasn't all positive beginnings with Jeff's arrival accompanied by intrigue and controversy.

'A posse met me some weeks before and, amongst other things, told me to practice elsewhere, even suggesting towns I might like. I was told it would take 25 years before I would be accepted as a local, although the coming Kiwifruit boom soon meant you were regarded as a local after three months.”

Katikati Community Board deputy chairman Brendan Gibbs says Jeff was an 'eccentric” man who had a great passion for both the outdoors, particularly skiing, and his collection of Jaguar cars.

He would spend his holidays with trips away skiing

But his lasting legacy will be the development of the community's medical centre, says Brendan.

'He always had a vision for a good medical centre as he was the only doctor here for many years.

'He had this vision for to have a medical centre and of course what we have now in Katikati is a medical centre with GPs, physios, x-ray, blood service and a chemist. We have all of that due to Jeff's work.”

Situated on the corner of Beach and Clive roads the centre has nine doctors and eight practice nurses providing care for about 9000 registered patients.

The purpose built premises has a pharmacy, physiotherapy, counsellors and laboratory technicians in the same building.

Brendan, also Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade station officer, says the 69-year-old was made an honorary member of the fire brigade as its medical officer well as being on the St John Ambulance area committee.

'He was very much a deep thinker that sometimes came across as a bit of a ditherer. But he knew his stuff and knew families.

'He really cared about people. He wouldn't say a lot but he had a fantastic memory and really knew a lot.”

In his funeral notice, Jeff is described as having a legacy of great kindness.

A Requiem Mass for Jeff will be celebrated at St Pius X Catholic Church, 89 Beach Road, Katikati on Saturday at 11am. This will be followed interment at the Katikati Cemetery.

Messages to the Friis family C/- PO Box 650, Tauranga.