Saturday, February 03, 2018

LAWRENCE EUGENE "DOC JOE" MAURER - 1914-2018

I previously wrote about Doc Maurer here, on the occasion of his 100th birthday.  Please read that post to see how we came to know Doc Joe, and learned that we were both born in Goshen and lived in New Paris.  Doc recently passed away, and here is his obituary:

Dr. Lawrence Eugene Maurer ‘Joe’, left this earth on January 24th, 2018. He was 103 years old. He leaves behind an incredible legacy and will live on in the hearts of the people he touched. He was born in Goshen, Indiana to Christian and Mary Elizabeth (Martin) Maurer. He attended Goshen College and went on to graduate from the University of Indiana Medical School in 1939. After his medical internship in Denver and Kansas City, he brought his wife Helen to Boulder to begin a new chapter in their lives. With approximately 12,000 people in Boulder and being one of the newest and youngest doctors in town at the time, he would be on call 24 hours a day and make house calls with his doctor's bag in tow. Along with treating minor bumps and bruises, to the setting of broken bones, he performed many surgeries early on that used a method called ‘open drop ether’ to put a patient to sleep. He joined up with nine other physicians in 1949 and founded the Boulder Medical Center. Since that time, it is estimated that he has delivered more than 2,500 babies and delivered two of his own children. Chances are if you were born between 1940-1960, he was the first to welcome you into this world. After diagnosing a patient and good friend with spinal meningitis, he learned of a new drug Penicillin attending a medical seminar. That proved advantageous to the patient, as he was the first physician to administer the drug in Boulder County and the patient survived. He loved helping others! He was active in his community being the team doctor for Boulder High School for 25 years, volunteered countless hours and gave free medical care for those less fortunate. He was a member of the Rotary Club for 60 years, served on the board of the Boulder Day Nursery, and belonged to the Boulder Torch Club. In his free time, he enjoyed walking the beaches of Mexico with his wife, fishing the lakes of Los Lagos in Nederland, and cheering on the C.U. Buffaloes and the Denver Broncos.

He is survived by his four children, Larry and wife Linda of Nederland, Mary Lynne Cameron and husband Mike of Boulder, Chris Maurer of Boulder, and Anne Dietz and husband Bob of Boulder. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Katie Cameron, Michael Cameron and wife Beverley, Bridget Heitz and husband Karl, Kristen Dietz, Kimberly Sauber and husband Luke and three great grandchildren Kenzie and Hutton Cameron and Emmit Sauber. He is preceded in death by sister Carol Maurer, his wife Helen (Faris) Maurer, and his first grandchild Molly Marie Maurer. A service will be held Saturday, February 17th at 1:30pm at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, 1318 Mapleton Avenue, Boulder, Co. 80304. A celebration of life will follow at the Boulder Country Club, 7350 Club House Road, Boulder, CO 80301. In lieu of flowers, Joe's family kindly requests contributions be made in his name to one of the following organizations: The Boulder Day Nursery Association, 1518 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO 80302, Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, 13123 East 16th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, Boulder High School Athletic Department, 1604 Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO 80302

And - I did find a pic of Doc when he turned 100.

https://i2.wp.com/themtnear.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/doc-maurer.jpeg

No comments: