David Arthur Peters, M.D.

Seattle - David Arthur Peters, M.D. passed away unexpectedly from a mountain biking accident on December 1, 2021, at the age of 34. He has left behind his parents Drs. David and Kathy Peters, sister Halley J. Peters, Esq., beloved family members and his "Portland parents," special friends Saraphina Kim, Brent Campbell, Alex Fedewa, Tyler Sporer, Mike Lawless, Jax Van Driessch, JT, and countless friends and colleagues who loved him well.

David was born on April 26, 1987 in Portland, Michigan. He grew up on a Christmas tree farm surrounded by nature, and he enjoyed many summers up north at the family cottage near Frankfort, Michigan. During his youth, David was totally immersed in the world of Portland soccer and his closest friends/brothers were his pack. He attended Pennsylvania State University, made another group of great friends, and went on to medical school at Wayne State University. From there, he excelled in his emergency medicine residency at Case Western/Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio, again making great lifelong friends like Jeff and Heather. After residency, he moved to Seattle, Washington, to live life to the fullest on the tallest peaks of the Cascades and along the toughest mountain biking trails in the Pacific Northwest, while practicing emergency medicine at Swedish Hospital and Snohomish. Many of his Portland, Michigan, friends moved to Seattle, and he tried to persuade ALL his friends and family to relocate also. He loved living there.

David's passion for nature, the outdoors, and challenging sports was unparalleled. When he wasn't tending to patients at Swedish Hospital, he could be found on the mountain biking trails and backcountry snowboarding slopes of Washington and Canada. David competed in Tough Mudders, numerous Ironman and triathalon competitions, dozens of races, and his first climb was with his father when he was 15 up the Grand Teton. He went on to climb Kilimanjaro with his sister and Mt. Rainer, Mt Baker, Mt. Olympus and climbed harrowing peaks with his friends. David was in the top 10% of Ironman competitors. He was certified in Avalanche Rescue. His skill level and penchant for challenging himself mentally and physically were incredible - and why he inspired and continues to inspire so many of us to this day. He shared his love of the outdoor camper/RV lifestyle with his mother, they shared a passion for sandwiches outside the RV after a morning of exploring the trails. David and his mother also shared a great love of coffee; some of the best times were with a cup in the morning before everyone else was awake. His white board of goals for himself included "buy a house," "climb Denali," "heli-ski British Columbia," "hunt elk," and strategies to reach those goals.

David was magnanimous, kind, funny, honest, thoughtful, and the most upstanding person most people will ever meet. He loved his family unconditionally and while he was the younger sibling, his sister always looked up to him as her "big brother" - both literally, seeing as he was 6'2", and figuratively for advice and direction. He was known for bringing friends together - renting cabins for birthdays and long weekends, and always ensuring invitees knew how much he appreciated them being there. In retrospect, dozens of friends have shared that David would seek them out during rough times in their lives and would make it a point to call and do the little things upon which a lifelong friendship can be built. It is no coincidence that many people considered David a "best friend" - and undoubtedly, David felt the same way. He was kind and thoughtful to his family (even trying to persuade them to move to gloomy Seattle!). He roped his family in to many of his adventures. Each one of us could always rely on him to be the voice of reason, and each one of us relied on him for insight in family matters. We miss being wrapped in his big bear hug and seeing his big smile.

David is missed beyond comprehension - his death by mountain biking accident: shocking, tragic and inexplicable. It was a run he had done many times before. Family and friends have raised funds for a dedicated mountain biking trail in Bellingham, Washington, his favorite place to ride, which will be completed by 2024. A beautiful memorial was held in Seattle on December 4, 2021, with friends, family and colleagues celebrating an amazing life that was taken too soon. Thank you to Al, Jax, and David's Seattle friends and the staff at Swedish Memorial for this amazing tribute.

The Peters family has established an endowed scholarship at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Kathy's alma mater. David's legacy of kindness, integrity and humility will be forever remembered through the David A. Peters, M.D. Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Human Medicine (https://myhumanmedicine.msu.edu/s/1393/18/it19-interior.aspx?sid=1393&gid=52&pgid=10651), to support medical students exemplifying those same qualities.

The family has also donated to Living Tree, a foundation to replant trees in our National Forests. The trees will be planted at Mount Baker/Snohomish in Washington and Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan near the Peters family cottage. (https://shop.alivingtribute.org/products/david-peters-md) The family is also donating trees along the Portland River Trail in his name.

David's ashes will be interred at the North Eagle Cemetery on Grange Road near his home in Portland, Michigan for those who wish to pay their respects in person.