by Cori Hilsgen
In 1976, a young dentist from Chicago, Ill. moved to Central Minnesota to set up a dental practice in St. Joseph and built his practice from the ground up. After serving his patients locally for 43 years, Dr. Joseph R. Styles has decided to retire Jan. 1.
Styles, 72, considered retiring six years ago, but wasn’t quite ready at that time and found he still loved practicing dentistry. He was in good health, liked his patients and employees and said every year he put it off a little longer until this year.
Styles said he wanted to retire while he was still efficient and qualified at practicing dentistry.
He said the decision to do so was difficult for him because he loves being a dentist and saying goodbye to his longtime patients has been one of the hardest things to do as he plans to retire.
Styles has had many of the same patients for 43 years. Throughout the years, he has worked on families of grandparents, parents and children. Styles said he has enjoyed working on those patients and watching their children and grandchildren grow up.
“I have enjoyed working on them through the years, watching the generations come and watching everyone grow up,” he said. “I always liked working on children and getting them off to a good start.”
Styles said he has become friends and neighbors with many of his patients.
Some of the many changes he has seen in dentistry throughout the years include that techniques have become stronger, better cosmetically and more painless, which has been a real improvement for patients. Dentists have become more efficient, started practicing preventive dentistry, have shown more patients how to take better care of their teeth and have helped educate children.
Styles also said he has had wonderful employees throughout the years. His original dental assistant, Mary Peterson, worked with him for about 40 years until she became ill from pancreatic cancer and died. Another employee working at the office, Judy Netter, then became his assistant and has been his only other assistant at the office.
When Styles decided to retire, he and his associates, Dr. Curtis F. Cotton and Dr. Kelsey Milbert, sent a letter to his patients announcing his retirement. Styles has been working half days since his decision in September.
Milbert will be purchasing Styles’ practice and will continue treating his patients.
“When it did come time for me to retire I wanted to leave them in really good hands and I knew with Dr. Milbert here that they would be left with good dental care for a long time,” he said.
Starting his practice
in Minnesota
Styles grew up in the Chicago suburbs, attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and then attended Northwestern University Dental School in Chicago.
After graduating from dental school in 1972, he taught part time at the dental school and treated patients in Chicago. He also had a chance to treat patients about once each week at a small farm town, Earlville, about 60 miles from Chicago.
A friend of his was a physician’s assistant at the Earlville clinic, which was a combination health and dental clinic in that town, and they were unable to find a dentist who would treat patients. Styles treated patients at the clinic and found he liked the small-town practice much better than downtown Chicago.
He had friends from college who had invited him to visit Minnesota.
“I fell in love with Minnesota, so I knew eventually I wanted to come to Minnesota to practice,” Styles said.
When he realized he liked the small-town practice, Styles said he decided he was going to look for something similar in Minnesota.
He began visiting different areas in Minnesota, knowing he didn’t want to go to the Twin Cities. He visited the St. Cloud, Rochester and Winona areas and realized he liked Central Minnesota.
After searching through the telephone book, he noticed there was only one dentist listed in St. Joseph. He visited with Dr. Robert Kelley, who he said was about 85 years old and ready to retire. Kelley was only seeing a few patients each day and had a very tiny office next to the La Playette Bar. Kelley offered to sell his office building to Styles, but his office was small with only one operatory and very little parking space, so Styles said he declined that offer.
Styles then walked around the corner to the local realty company, Landmark Realty, and told them he was thinking about coming to St. Joseph and inquired about what kind of city lots were available to build an office. They informed him there was nothing available downtown, but they had a lot, at that time, just outside the city limits. They showed it to Styles and he decided that land would work to build his office.
“It had highway visibility, it was close to town and had plenty of space to work with,” he said.
Building his office
from the ground up
Styles purchased that land at 1514 E. Minnesota St. and moved to Minnesota. Because he couldn’t practice until he had a building to work in, he took the summer off to build his office.
Styles and a carpenter worked together for about six weeks framing the original building of his office building. Styles then spent the next two and one-half months finishing the interior wood walls with cedar wood (because he liked the smell of cedar wood), getting the utilities in and ordering dental equipment.
When designing his building, he wanted a large operatory to work in with lots of big windows and an area he could put plants in.
“I wanted it to be a real comfortable surrounding for patients,” Styles said. “It’s been our look here to have big comfy rooms with wood walls.”
He also made room for flowers outside to help relax patients as they entered the building so they could come into a place that looks “homey and friendly.” He has tried to vary the plants so they have a succession of blooms. Styles said he has enjoyed watching people from his operatory window as they checked out the flowers when they entered the building.
By November 1976, he was ready to open his practice. Many area residents had watched him building his office and had visited with him while he was working, so he said his practice was very busy from the “get-go.”
Adding an associate
In 1977, Cotton, who was serving in the Navy, visited with Styles to inquire about practicing with him in 1978.
Cotton, who grew up in the Iowa and the Rochester area, was familiar with Central Minnesota because his family had a cabin on Big Watab Lake, which they visited in the summers.
Styles said he told Cotton he was very busy and in another year he would probably have an opportunity for an associate.
When Cotton joined the practice, they added another addition on to the building and the two have been practicing as associates for 41 years.
“It’s been an honor to practice with Joe,” Cotton said. “When they say 80 percent of dental associateships don’t last we’ve done pretty well for 41 and one-half years. I think it’s great Joe is heading into the next phase of his life and I wish him all the best. I just hope he’ll take the time every spring to take care of the flower gardens that greet patients every summer. I know patients love to see the flowers and it adds so much to the dental office visit. I know it’s hard for Joe to say goodbye but I know Barb and his grandkids will fill the void.”
Milbert following in some
of her father’s footsteps
Cotton and his wife, Karen, have three adult children Brandon, Brady and Kelsey. Kelsey Milbert decided to follow in some of her father’s footsteps when she decided she also wanted to be a dentist.
“I am very passionate about dentistry and my top priority is patient comfort,” Milbert said. “I will always try to make appointments as pleasant as possible, and I look forward to building lifelong, trusting relationships with my patients and families.”
Milbert, 34, grew up in Cold Spring and attended Rocori High School. She later graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter and the University of Minnesota Dental School.
Milbert joined Styles and her father at their practice the summer after she graduated from dental school and has been with the practice for seven and one-half years.
Milbert has been coming to the dental office since she was 3 years old. After working at the office for a summer job for a few years, she said she decided in college that she wanted to pursue a career as a dentist.
“I wanted to settle down and raise a family in a small town and had the opportunity to join this practice,” Milbert said.
Milbert and her husband, Matt Milbert, have two daughters, Margot, 4, and Elise, 9 months. When she is not treating patients, Milbert enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading, and being outdoors at the lake and family cabin in the summers.
There have been many longtime employees at the Styles, Cotton and Milbert office and the current employees will remain with the practice.
“I knew this was going to be a great place to work when I started 34 years ago and the doctors asked me to call them Joe and Curt instead of Dr. Styles and Dr. Cotton,” said office manager Melaine Swecker. “Because the doctors are so good and respectful to their staff, everyone stays here. Joe has a heart of gold. He would give us a Christmas tree and wreath every year. In the spring he would give us all a hanging flower basket. He loved his beautiful dahlias and worked so hard to keep the office landscape beautiful. Everyone (who) came to the office in the summer commented on his beautiful flowers.”
Swecker also shared a memory of Styles’s 50th birthday at the office.
“On his 50th birthday, we had a fun day,” she said. “Everyone came to work in black and his wife made him a toupee for him and she wore a black veil. It is hard for Joe to retire as he truly loves all his patients. Most of his patients have been coming for many years. We will miss Joe so much.”
Retirement plans
Styles has been married to his wife, Barb, for 35 years. Together, they are parents to a blended family of three children, Jenna Styles-Spooner, Kelly Seibert and Joe Styles, granddaughter, Matilda, grandsons Drew and Jack, and an Irish Setter dog, Reba.
Styles has been an active gardener for many years and has kept the front area garden of the dental office thriving with varieties of vibrant, blooming colors.
During retirement, Styles said he and Barb, a hairstylist who works in her home salon, plan to stay in St. Cloud to remain close to their children and grandchildren who all live in Minnesota.
They also hope to do some traveling to Florida to visit some friends, take in a few Minnesota Twins baseball games and soak up the warmth. They might take another cruise. He said they recently took a New England cruise and enjoyed the fall colors.
The Styles also own The Riverbluff Christmas Tree Farm in St. Cloud, a choose and cut tree farm they started in 1991. After having a few health issues related to a kidney stone this year, he was not able to keep up with all the shaping and pruning of the trees. Therefore, the business will be closed this season but they plan to reopen for the 2020 season.
“In retirement next year I will have lots of time to keep the trees shaped and we plan to be open Christmas 2020,” Styles said. “That will be my new job, taking care of the Christmas trees.”
He and his business partner, Roger Woeste, also owned buffalo together for 20 years. Due to both of their ages, they decided to let the buffalo go and sold them in the fall.
“I am going to miss my patients and their families and my employees, but I wanted to retire while I was still a good dentist, and wanted to go out at my best,” Styles said. “I also wanted to leave my patients in good dental hands and Dr. Milbert will fill that need. All the employees will still be here, so not that much is going to change except I won’t be here. I might stay on as the gardener outside too. Patients might see me out in the garden.”
Retirement party
An open house and retirement party for Styles will be from 3-7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20, at the La Playette Bar. All patients and friends are invited.