Albert D. Haverkamp, MD

Albert D. Haverkamp, MD, 79, of Denver Colorado, passed away January 26, 2017. Dr. Al was born November 15, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois to Elizabeth and Edward Haverkamp. Dr. Al's memory is carried on by Carol, his wife of 54 years, his son, Al, daughter-in-law Leslie and granddaughters Leah and Claire of Encinitas, Ca; Daughter, Kerry Wallace and grandchildren Caitlyn and Nathan of Edwards, Co.; son Timothy, daughter-in-law, Meghan, and grandchildren Kenna and Heidi of Denver, Co. Dr. Al grew up in Skokie, Illinois until age 12 when his family moved to a 30 acre farm in Warrenville, IL, outside Chicago. In the country he enjoyed sports with his big brother, Bob, riding his horse Trigger and playing with his dog, Snip. He and his brother grew early also to enjoy learning and intellectual challenges. He went to Campion Jesuit High School in Wisconsin before entering the University of Notre Dame where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1959 and developed his lifelong devotion to Irish sports. He met his wife and soulmate, Carol, on November 8, 1958 on a senior class trip to Pittsburgh for a Notre Dame-Pitt football game. Notre Dame lost in the final seconds of the game but an enduring and endearing relationship had begun. His deep affection and devotion to Carol was the central thread throughout his adult life. Following an internship at Los Angeles County Hospital, he enlisted in the Army Medical Corps and served 3 years as a captain of a medical detachment in Heidelberg, Germany. Here he developed a love of travel and during his life visited 40 countries throughout Europe and South America. He and his young family moved to Colorado in 1969 where he completed a residency in OB-GYN at the University of Colorado and embarked on his distinguished medical career. Dr. Al was an associate professor and board certified OB-GYN at Denver General Hospital. He also had a private practice at 820 Clermont St. in Denver. During the 1970's and 1980's there were new technologies being developed in obstetrics. He took on the challenge to do randomized control trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of these new tools such as prenatal ultrasound and electronic fetal monitoring. The results of these studies, especially fetal monitoring, gained international attention and he traveled in the U.S. and abroad presenting the results to colleagues. Also he testified in a congressional hearing before Senator Ted Kennedy who was interested in having the government support research on the use of ultrasound. A great deal of effort and support was devoted to young professionals in the field, encouraging their clinical skills and supervising their research. He was appointed to the Board of Medical Examiners and served on policy committees for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Washington, D.C. He traveled to Leogane, Haiti, offering clinical OB-GYN services that were unavailable there. In 1979 he was Board Certified in the new sub-specialty of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and became the Perinatologist in Charge of High Risk Pregnancy and Electronic Fetal Monitoring at Denver General Hospital. At this time he was also named an Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. In 1987 he joined Kaiser Permanente to create a Department of Perinatology. He encouraged Dr. Robert McDuffie to do a perinatal fellowship and join the Department and also welcomed Dr. Craig Stark who had done a fellowship with him at Denver General Hospital. He continued his work at Kaiser until his final retirement in 2012. Dr. Al had many interests outside of medicine. His greatest enjoyment was his family: wife, Carol, a nurse, who worked beside him in his private practice and at Kaiser as well as his 3 children and 6 grandchildren. He also built a stellar resume as a youth soccer coach. Affectionately known as ""Doc"" to players and the soccer community, he was especially proud of his Cranmer Park ""Dynamites"" who won two state championships along with many other tournaments. His sons also played hockey, so he built an ice rink in the back yard for them which became the most popular spot in the Crestmoor neighborhood for many winters. An avid golfer he also was a season ticket holder for the Broncos, Avalanche and Rockies. And he had an affinity for fine wine, which he first learned from his father and then further developed while he was living in Germany. Though he traveled to 40 countries, DR. Al's favorite getaway was the Vail Valley. His fondness for the Valley started when the family first began skiing and hiking in Vail in the late 1960's and early 1970's. He eventually built a house near Edwards, CO. and made it his second home for the past 2o years. He loved hosting guests there and guiding them to his favorite ski runs, hiking spots and other local attractions. The Funeral Mass will be 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 3, 2017 at Christ the King Church, 830 Elm St., Denver. There will be a reception following at Wellshire Golf Course & Event Center at Colorado Blvd and Hampden Ave. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Notre Dame, Donor Services, 1100 Grace Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 indicating Memorial Gift for Albert Haverkamp, class of 1959. Please share your memories of Dr. Al and condolences with his family in the Guestbook below.