William S. Lovekin
William (Bill) Lovekin, M.D., died peacefully in his sleep early Sunday morning February 25, 2018, one month short of his 88th birthday. His life was rich and full, and he has been greatly loved by his family, his patients and his friends, all of whom enriched his life as he did theirs.
Bill was born and educated through high school in New England after which he moved to Tucson, where he immediately felt at home in the desert. He graduated from the University of Arizona before attending Columbia Medical School, where he earned his medical degree in 1955.
He counted his family as his greatest blessing and they include his wife of 63 years, Anne; and their children, Elizabeth Baker (Steve), Jonathan Lovekin (Patty), Timothy Lovekin (Laura), and Amy Lovekin; as well as grandchildren David (Jenny) Baker, Hannah (Brian) Hoogland, Nathan (Nikki) Baker, Naomi Baker, and Emily Lovekin and Kate Lovekin; and six great-grandchildren. Five brothers also survive him, the Rev. A. Adams Lovekin (predeceased by his wife Ann) and Allen B. Lovekin (Joan) of Albuquerque; as well as his half brothers, Steve (Gisela) Lovekin, Jim (Iris) Lovekin, and Charles (Charlotte) Lovekin; and his nieces and nephews.
After graduation from Columbia, and a year of internship at Philadelphia General Hospital, he was one of three physicians at the Ganado Mission Hospital, where he and Anne grew to love both the people and the beauty of the Navajo reservation, and where Elizabeth and Jonathan were born. From the desert to the ocean, the next three years the family lived in San Francisco while Bill furthered his medical training in the specialty of cardiology, and where Timothy began his life.
The homeward pull of the southwest found them moving to Albuquerque in 1962 and his youngest, Amy, became his only native New Mexican. His fledgling private practice was interrupted when Bill was hired by the newly started UNM Medical School as the third faculty physician.
When it came time to move back into the community, he, with Presbyterian Hospital, initiated the program in cardiology, with Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Jerome Goss. He subsequently opened his own practice, Cardiology Associates, and then followed Dr. Bill Dean’s lead by joining the formation of the larger group, the New Mexico Heart Institute, where he remained as a practicing cardiologist until his retirement.
Bill will be missed by many for his caring interest in everyone, and for his ability to expand every- one’s delight in life. He was a real person who dealt with the stuff of life he was given, and felt that what is important is our passion for discipling and improving ourselves to achieve creativity and the betterment of others. What undergirded all his life was his deep belief in and dedication to Christ as he grew to know Him.
Though we will miss him greatly, we have treasured his companionship, and give thanks for his life with us.
Memorial services for Bill will be held at La Mesa Presbyterian Church, 7401 Copper Ave. NE, Friday, March 9 at 2 p.m.
In memory of Bill, any who might wish to do so may contribute to the La Mesa Presbyterian Church Legacy Fund, 7401 Copper Avenue NE, Albuquerque, NM 87108.