WA - David Shurtleff, MD, passed away peacefully on May 23, 2025. He is survived by his three children, Matthew, Hillary and her husband Dale, and Michael and his wife Nancy; and his two granddaughters, Kate and Jesse. Cynthia, his wife of 70 years (and partner for 74 years), predeceased him in 2022. David is also survived by friends and mentees as far away as Australia and Europe. Numerous mentees and friends felt he was an important father figure.

David attended Saint Georges School in Middletown, Rhode Island (on a scholarship for his Boy Scout achievement) and Harvard. (While he was awarded a football scholarship to Harvard, a knee injury precluded him from playing college football.) He met his beloved wife Cynthia when they were both 18. David completed Tufts University Medical School and residency and pediatric fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital (during the polio epidemic) and then in 1957 was recruited by Dr. Robert Aldrich (who became an important mentor and father figure) to be Chief Resident Pediatrician at the University of Washington. David then served two years as a pediatrician in the Army at Fort Hood, Texas.

David returned to the UW in 1959. Beginning in 1960, Dr. Aldrich charged David with the initial development of the UW Department of Pediatrics Outpatient Clinics at Childrens Orthopedic Hospital. David was integral to the development of the UW Pediatric Residency program in his roles as coordinator, member, and chair on the UW Integrated Pediatric Residency Committee, starting in 1960 and on-and-off for 17 years (with the UW and COH official affiliation agreement occurring during this time, in 1973), and he was integral to the development of the UWs innovative multi-state medical education program, the WAMI (Washington, Alaska, Montana, Idaho) program (that later expanded to the WWAMI program). The latter provided tremendous opportunities to explore and enjoy fishing around the Pacific Northwest!

Davids career involved numerous accomplishments, including national and international presentations, publications, and awards. He attributed half of the credit for all his accolades to his beloved wife and partner, Cynthia. With his wife, David shared a dedication to helping others, particularly children and families, and they traveled the world associated with Davids work. After he retired and became UW Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, David continued to help children and their parents by volunteering until he was 85. (Further history is available through YouTube: Advocacy for Children with Special Needs: Honoring the Life Work of David and Cynthia Shurtleff.)

David dedicated his adult life to his wife, Cynthia, and his family. They moved to Clyde Hill in 1960 where they lived for the rest of their lives, raising a family and creating a beautiful rhododendron garden. They always enjoyed having family and friend gatherings, including their annual Christmas celebration which they changed to a Solstice celebration as a way of respecting and embracing their many friends who did not celebrate the Christmas Holiday. David and Cynthia also shared a love of nature, fishing, hunting, Huskies football, and Dabob Bay (and contributed to the preservation of the latter). They particularly loved fishing and were both avid and skilled fishers well into their eighties; they taught their children to fish and always enjoyed fishing with them.

David is beloved by so many and will be deeply missed. We will miss his beautiful mind, his insight and wisdom, his generosity and kindness and grace, and everything that made him who he was, particularly his humor, wit, and stories.

A celebration of Davids life (with reception to follow) will be held at noon on September 6th at Saint Johns Episcopal Church, 105 State Street S, Kirkland, WA 98033. David and Cynthia attended this church for years; they appreciated and contributed to the church's outreach activities for the needy.

David specifically requested, and the family prefers, that memorial contributions be made in memory of David Shurtleff to the Robert A. Aldrich Endowed Professorship in Pediatrics through the University of Washington*. David was grateful to Dr. Aldrich for his mentorship.

*https://give.uwmedicine.org/give/?source=END-116127 or UW Foundation, address: UW Medicine Advancement, 850 Republican Street C-5, Box 358045, Seattle WA 98195.