Charles Hastings, MD
July 3, 1947 - September 1, 2022
Charles Wendling Hastings, MD, passed away on September 1,
2022, at Balfour
Senior Living in Louisville, with his daughter Elizabeth at his side. Charles was born in Orange, New Jersey, on July 3, 1947, to
Wendling and Elizabeth (Betty) Hastings. His family settled in Grosse Ile, Michigan, with a summer cottage in Presque Isle, and later moving to Topeka, Kansas. Charles earned his Eagle Scout award at age 14, an accomplishment he was proud of throughout his life.
He attended three different high schools, graduating from Topeka West in 1965. There he earned the French Mathematician of the Year award. Upon graduation, he earned a four-year scholarship to the University of Kansas as a Summerfield Scholar, where he majored in Math and Chemistry, and graduated as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
In 1966, he survived the F5 tornado that devastated Topeka, then spent the rest of the summer assessing damage for the local utility company. In the summer of '69, he built silos all over Kansas. The crew always stayed and ate with the families on the farms where they worked - perhaps this was the origin of his love of turkey, mashed potatoes, and cherry pie.
Upon completing his undergraduate education, he proceeded to medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. There he met Maryanne Wood, and they were married June 30, 1972, in Baltimore. She was the first to call him Charlie instead of Charles, and it became his preferred address for the remainder of his life.
In 1973, Charlie and Maryanne spent a year in Kansas City for his medical internship at the University of
Kansas, then returned to Baltimore for his residency. Their only daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1976. In 1977, he started his career as a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente. For the next 25 years, he worked in Kaiser clinics throughout the Boulder and Denver area, was elected as Kaiser's "Physician of the Year," and served in several leadership positions. He retired from Kaiser in 2002, coming out of retirement in 2005 to serve an additional ten years in Topeka and
Leavenworth at the VA of Eastern Kansas. Charlie and Maryanne spent many vacations in Sedona, Arizona. There he achieved his lifelong dream of a hole in one at the Canyon Mesa Country Club. His favorite place was Hawaii, where he attended annual meetings of the Hawaii Derm Society for 30 years. He often said that despite traveling to many beautiful locations - especially after his second retirement there was no place he loved more than his home in Boulder. He made his home in the Devil's Thumb neighborhood for 45 years. He spent his final months at Balfour
Senior Living in Louisville, where he was well loved and cared for by staff and residents.
Charlie's passions were golf, swimming, and raising prize winning roses.
He died of metastatic colon cancer almost two years after his initial diagnosis - which, according to Charlie, shows that he made "a little more effort" to fight the disease.
Charlie is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, of Clive, Iowa; his three grandchildren,
Michelle, Andrew, and Matthew, of the Des Moines, Iowa, area; his brother John (Melanie) Hastings of Leawood, Kansas; his brother-in-law Charlie (Diane) Beck of Ojo Caliente, New Mexico; seven nieces and nephews and their families; and dear friend John (Joanie) Scott of Golden, Colorado. He was preceded in death by Maryanne in 2020; his sister Charlotte Beck; his sister-in-law Mary Tate Hastings; both parents; and his stepfather Les Saylor. Charlie will be buried next to Maryanne in a small graveside service at Mountain View Cemetery in Boulder, with a view of their beloved mountains. Contributions in Charlie's memory can be made to First Tee, building character in youth through the game of golf, or the Solon E. Summerfield Foundation, supporting underserved children and youth in postsecondar y education and career development.