Dr. John N. Chatfield Jr. M.D. M.B.A

Dr. John Norville Chatfield Jr., age 78, of Colorado Springs, CO, died peacefully in his sleep at Bear Creek Senior Living on November 29th 2019.

The funeral service will be held on Friday December 13th at 2:00 pm at Gateway Presbyterian Church. The Reverend Dr. Victoria Isaacs will be officiating. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Swan Law Funeral Home.

John was born in Houston Texas in 1941 to John N. Chatfield Sr. and Kathryn Bone. John’s family moved to Bombay India when his father was stationed overseas as a chemical engineer for Humble Oil. While in India, John attended the Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu. This formative experience abroad was a strong influence throughout his life. John returned to the United States to attend Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, then obtained his undergraduate degree from Rice University in Houston Texas, and his medical degree at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas Texas. He completed his medical training as an obstetrician/gynecologist at Parkland Medical Center also in Dallas. In his final year of medical residency, he met and married his wife, Elizabeth (Liz) Bukaty. John served 2 years of military service in the Army with the Berry Plan, which brought him and Liz to Fort Carson. Following his military service, he remained in Colorado Springs and started his obstetrics/gynecology practice in 1974. John loved the work he did over 2 decades performing the “happy medicine” of caring for women and delivering babies into the world. Following a traumatic brain injury sustained in a motor vehicle accident in 1992, John retired from the practice of medicine. In his “retirement” he obtained an MBA at UCCS, took many courses at Colorado College and UCCS, traveled, and pursued his passion for mountain climbing, successfully summiting all 54 Fourteeners in Colorado. John fulfilled a dream of returning to India to visit Kodaikanal and then on to Tibet to trek to the base of Mt. Everest.

John was married to Liz for 48 years. Together they enjoyed travel throughout the US and abroad. He was an active member of his church and was fulfilled by his volunteer work with the Colorado Democratic Party, Ecumenical Social Ministries, the Prison Fellowship program, and the Brain Injury Alliance Colorado. We will remember John whenever we eat (extra spicy) Indian food, are tempted to take home the tortilla chips from a Mexican restaurant, or play one of his Beatles, Dylan or Rolling Stones records.

John is survived by his wife, Liz, his children David Hughes and Kathryn Collier, his son-in-law Curtis Coughlin II, two grandchildren: Roxie and Josephine Coughlin, his brother Robert, sister-in-law Carol and niece Miranda Chatfield. John’s extended family includes his surviving aunt, Dr. Mary Alice Bone Adamson, and many cousins of the Bone family, also known as the Loved Ones.

The family would like to thank Compassus Hospice, Bear Creek Senior Living (formerly Brookdale) for the excellent care and comfort they provided to John in the final year of his life.

In John’s memory, contributions may be given to the Four Mile Prison Program, Prison Fellowship, c/o of First Presbyterian Church, 219 E Bijou St, Colo Spgs, CO 80903, or the Head Injury Alliance of Colorado at biacolorado.org/donate/.