Harold Wayne Hatten, Jr. M.D. Harold W. Hatten, Jr., 77, of Boise, died Monday, May 4, 2009, at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center from complications related to severe pancreatitis. He passed away in the presence of his family, who were with him for the duration of his short hospital stay. Harold was born Jan. 28, 1932, in Brookville, Pa. He was the oldest of three children, the son of Harold Wayne Hatten, Sr. and Geraldine (Ferguson) Hatten. He married Lois R. Swartzfisher June 11, 1957, in St. Mary's, Pa. They celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary last year. A 1954 graduate of Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., he received his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1958. During his graduate studies, he was awarded a fellowship at the University of Oslo, Norway - an experience that would stay with him throughout his life. He and his close friends, three fellow graduates from medical school, moved west together and completed their medical internships at the Cottage and County Hospitals in Santa Barbara, Calif. The friends shared a lifelong bond even after he settled in Boise. The Army brought him and his young family to Boise in 1959. They fell in love with the community and raised a family that has grown to include seven children, 16 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He began his career in Family Practice on Overland Road in 1961. In addition to his private practice, he worked part time as the School Physician for the Boise School District supervising school nurses, performing school and athletic physicals, and caring for indigent children. He also worked one morning a week at the Idaho State Penitentiary when it was still housed off Warm Springs Ave. The last five years of his practice, he worked full time as the medical director for the Idaho Department of Corrections. He retired from the active practice of medicine in 1994. His service to the Boise community includes years of work with the Arthritis Foundation, the Central District Board of Health, and the Idaho Medical Association. He is a Past President of the Idaho Academy of Family Practice. He was Capital High School's first volunteer football team doctor - an activity that allowed him to combine his lifelong love of football with his passion for medicine. He was an active community participant in many areas beyond medicine. He was a member of St. Mark's Catholic Church. He and Lois were involved in numerous church venues including many joy-filled experiences with the married couple search group and the cast of life-long friends they met during the search activities. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Boise. He enjoyed many outdoor recreational opportunities from skiing, snowmobiling, and golfing, to quiet enjoyment in his cherished cabins at Terrace Lakes and along the Middle Fork of the Payette River. He was one of the early members of the Terrace Lakes Recreation Ranch, where he and his dear friends Peder and Jenny Jensen built a cabin in the summer of 1967. From that time forward, the two families created countless memories together at the cabin. More than anything he cherished his family, and was blessed to have children, grandchildren and a great-grandchild close by in Boise. He created and enjoyed the Hatten family home of the last 46 years, which several times a year and especially at Christmas was the primary gathering place for the entire family. He touched the lives of many people due to his integrity, empathy, and generosity as a physician, and also because of his spirit of adventure and fun. He and Lois spent much of their time since his retirement traveling the world. He especially enjoyed their many trips to Hawaii. Their last international trip was in November of last year to Costa Rica with their son and daughter-in-law. An avid reader with a thirst for knowledge, he valued education and creative achievement in life. It was a value that he lived, and a commitment that he made to all of his children, one that he believed was one of his most fundamental gifts to them. In addition to his wife, Lois, he is survived by his children and their spouses: Mike (Joy), Lisa (Curtis), Dave (Carol), Steve (Kathleen), Laurie (Harlan), Lindy, and John (Katy); grandchildren, and a great grandson; a sister, Claire Hetrick of New Bedford, Pa.; and a brother, John Hatten of Brookville, Pa. A memorial vigil will be held at the Alden Waggoner Funeral Chapel, 5400 Fairview Ave., Friday, May 8, 2009, at 7 p.m. A funeral mass will be held the following morning, Saturday, May 9, at 11 a.m. at St. Mark's Catholic Church. A luncheon will follow. The Rev. Dave Riffle, a long-time friend, will cel-ebrate the Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Fund at St. Mark's Parish, or the Nazareth Retreat Center. Published in the Idaho Statesman on 5/7/2009