Dr. Francesco Beuf

1933 - 2017

Dr. Francesco Beuf died with his family around him on May 11th, at Boulder Community Hospital two days before his 84th birthday. Dr. Beuf was raised on his family's ranch in Wyoming. He received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Tech, then worked for one year at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. He then accepted an offer by General Electric's new Missile and Space Division in Philadelphia, where he was involved in designing missiles, satellites, Mars exploration probes, and, became manager of the Space Division's International Operations. In 1972, he took a leave of absence from GE to attend Temple University's School of Medicine, he was 40-years old. His internship and residency followed at the University of Pennsylvania Children's Hospital. For the next two years he was director of the intensive care nursery at Byrn Mawr Hospital. He then returned to his home town in Wyoming where he practiced general pediatrics, served as Chief of Staff at Sheridan County Memorial Hospital and was appointed by the Governor to the Wyoming Certificate of Need Board and Early Intervention Council. In 1990, Dr. Beuf moved to Boulder, admitting patients to Boulder Community hospital. In addition to his general pediatric work, Dr. Beuf loved teaching students at the CU Medical School where he was a Clinical Professor. He focused on the fields of Asthma/Allergy and Neonatology. He was board certified in Pediatrics, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a member of the Colorado and Boulder County Medical Societies, was awarded the American Medical Association's Physician's Recognition Award with Commendation for Self-Directed Learning and the CU Medical School Career Teachers Scholar Award. He volunteered his services to Doctors Without Boarders. His articles have appeared in national journals in the fields of medicine, interplanetary exploration and sports car magazines. "Doc", as he was known to his family, lived life with an adventurous spirit. He owned and flew his own plane as a teenager, using a horse pasture on his family's ranch as the landing strip. As a young man he bicycled across Europe and climbed the Matterhorn. He was an avid sports car enthusiast, who enjoyed racing his 1966 AC Shelby Cobra. He recently lost his wife of 23 years, Penni Pearson-Beuf, and he is survived by his daughter, Helen (Honey); sons, Carlo, Peter; and grandchildren Max, Tess, Olivia, Elizabeth and Caroline. In lieu of flowers contributions can be made to Charities within Reach or There With Care. A service will be conducted at St. John's Episcopal Church on Saturday, July 8th.