David Alan Hatch

David Alan Hatch died peacefully on October 1, 2022. He was a kind man, a loving father, a skilled and compassionate doctor, a carpenter, handyman, musician, photographer, storyteller, and writer. No words can communicate his tender affection, keen mind, and sense of humor. He struggled with the losses of Parkinson's disease for seventeen years with impressive courage, patience, stubbornness, and humor.

David was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho on May 27, 1952 to Charles Steven and Margery Doxey Hatch. He attended schools in Idaho Falls, Palos Verdes, California, and Provo, Utah. He fell in love with music and discovered a talent for the guitar. As a teenager he played in multiple bands: The Family Dog, The Love Apple, Circle's End, Flying Relbonzo and the Magic Mushroom. He served an LDS mission in New Zealand, attended Brigham Young University, and then studied medicine at the University of Utah.

While studying medicine, Dave's sister Mary Ellen introduced him to her friend, Susan Paxman. The two were married on April 23, 1980. They moved to Portland, Oregon for his six-year residency in urology and then to Chicago for a fellowship in pediatric urology at Children's Memorial. His 30-year career was spent at Loyola University Medical Center in the Chicago suburbs. In addition to treating patients and performing surgery, Dave was a professor of medicine and helped train over 90 urologists.

Dave loved his family actively. He often played the role of a peacemaker, bringing calm and understanding to upset feelings. He made sure to hear both sides of a story. He searched for ways to connect with his sons-making music or videos together, playing racquetball or skiing, and taking trips with them.

David had a gift for empathizing with patients and providing comfort to them and their parents. Other hospital staff found him a pleasure to work with, and he loved to help residents make mockumentary videos for the yearly Urology Department roasts. Dave was a wizard with technology. He bought recording equipment to produce his own songs long before it became common for musicians to do so. He was an early adopter of the personal computer; he took his sons to his office to show them the internet before there was anything interesting on it. He designed his own program for recording medical records before electronic medical records were common.

Although music took a back seat to his medical career, Dave continued to write an occasional song, often for a family member. He arranged Christmas carols to play in quartets with his kids, sometimes taking the melody on his recorder. He played the electric bass in a musical combo with friends from church. He never lost his passion for finding new music. On the day he died, he expressed his intention to write a review of a new album he had discovered. We're fairly sure he's introducing everyone he knows in heaven to the music of Jacob Collier and Laura Mvula.

In his later years, Dave's passion for photography evolved into creating an in-home studio. He bought light diffusers, sewed backdrops, and began to invite colleagues, family, and friends to free photo shoots in our basement. He even built a seamless, curved backdrop out of drywall.

David's carpentry was meticulously crafted and beautiful. He designed and built shelves, tables, and cabinets in various styles. He made a chessboard and a mahogany box as Christmas presents for his son and his sister. Many of the cabinets and shelves in our home and the kitchen table the family used for years were the work of his hand. His sons had an advantage in crafting their Cub Scout pinewood cars with his help.

Dave lamented the loss of many of his abilities due to Parkinson's disease, but he didn't give up on doing what he loved. To the end, he still spent time on woodworking and photography though he could no longer do so with proficiency. He didn't lose his ability to tell an entertaining story or bring down the house with a good one-liner.

David was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Sharon Hatch, his brother Steven Graham Hatch, his sister-in-law Mary Paxman McGee, nephew David Thomas, great-nephew Joshua Paxman, and his parents-in-law Monroe and Shirley Brockbank Paxman. He is survived by his wife Susan Paxman Hatch of Issaquah, Washington and his children Aaron, Los Angeles; Chandler of Ahmedabad, India; and Colin and Megan Foy of Provo, Utah; his siblings Becky Johnson, Mesa, Arizona; Rhonda (Randall) Stauffer, Alpine, Utah; Barbara (Sidney) Sandberg, Orem, Utah and Chicago; Mary Ellen (Bill) Hickman, Bothell, Washington; Doxey (Meg Barron) Hatch, Nye, Montana; and Jenny (Blake) Nielsen, Bountiful, Utah as well as dozens of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 11:00 a.m. at the Issaquah Highlands Community Center. In lieu of flowers, please donate to The Michael J. Fox Foundation in David's memory; you might want to specify that your donation be used in research for a cure.

Video of the service will be available on YouTube. Please contact the family for details.