Charles Hamlin, M.D.

Charles (Charlie) Hamlin, MD, of Denver, Colorado, a beloved pillar of the community, passed away on January 14, 2026, at the age of 86. Charlie was born on March 7, 1939, to Hannibal and Margaret Hamlin in New Haven, Connecticut, the second of three siblings.

Charlie grew up attending the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island and Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. During his undergraduate years at Yale University, he developed many deep friendships that sustained him throughout his entire life. As a hockey goalie at Yale, he set a record for five career shutouts that lasted nearly fifty years. Charlie attended medical school at Dartmouth College and Columbia University, followed by an orthopedic surgery residency at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City and a fellowship in hand surgery at Roosevelt Hospital in New York City under Dr. William Littler.

While living in New York, Charlie reconnected with Linda Ewing Hamlin. They had first met in dancing school when they were 12 years old. Charlie and Linda were married in Aspen in 1972, and Linda became the love of his life for the next fifty four years. In addition to Linda, Charlie leaves behind his three stepsons, who he loved and raised as his own, and their families: Toby (Jill) Leeson of Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Bill Leeson (Heather Karlson) of Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Tom (Tiffany) Leeson of Steamboat Springs, along with his grandchildren Eliza, Skylar, Harriet, Van, Sophie, and Silas. He was preceded in death by his older brother Cyrus Hamlin and is survived by his sister, Ellen Reynolds, of Wellesley, MA., as well as his nephews Matt Reynolds, Hannibal Hamlin, Charles Hamlin and nieces Sarah Hamlin and Liz Reynolds.

Charlie and his family settled in New York City while he completed his hand fellowship. They relocated to Alexandria, VA in 1974, where he began his practice of hand surgery in the Air Force at Andrews Air Force Base. They moved to Denver in 1976, and Charlie joined Hand Surgery Associates. He was instrumental in growing the practice into one of the most well-respected hand surgery practices in the country. During that time, he started a hand clinic to improve the hand functionality of patients with spinal cord and brain injuries at Craig Hospital, a non-profit neurorehabilitation hospital in Englewood, CO. Charlie stated, “One of my most significant accomplishments was the establishment of a hand clinic at Craig Hospital in Denver. I derived a great deal of satisfaction from working with these patients. So much had been taken away from them… they had lost so much independence, that to be able to help them regain some of that was tremendous.” While working at Craig Hospital, he also set up an education fund for ongoing training for Occupational Therapists.

In June, 1994, Charlie founded the Chinle Hand Clinic, which provided pro bono surgical services to people from the Navajo Nation in Chinle, Arizona. The clinic met once a month for 20 years. As Charlie said, “Making a living is important and sometimes even interesting, but sooner or later making a difference is what counts.” This effort earned him the Navajo Indian Health Services Directors’ Award and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons Humanitarian Award.

Charlie retired from Hand Surgery Associates in 2009 at the age of 70 but continued to provide hand surgery for a number of years to patients in rural Colorado towns such as Alamosa, Meeker and Craig. During his retirement, he began working with the nationwide non-profit group Compassion & Choices and was instrumental in passing Colorado’s End of Life Options Act in 2016. He served on both the Colorado and national boards.

Charlie loved the outdoors, whether skiing, golfing, fishing, hiking, or camping. He also had a deep appreciation for art of all types and curated an eclectic collection which included many local artists who ultimately became good friends. He and his wife Linda traveled to many countries such as New Zealand, East Africa, New Guinea, India and Bhutan. He enthusiastically enjoyed the company of friends and their thoughtful conversation at dinner and wine parties. Perhaps among his friends, he is best known for the quote “Good Friends, Good Wine, Good Times, and Good Night!” (at 9:00 p.m., sharp). He always knew when to end the party while it was fun, and that is how he left us – while he was still having fun.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dr. Hamlin OT Education Fund (https://tinyurl.com/craighospitaldonations) at Craig Hospital. A celebration of life will be held this spring.