Donald Dean Albers

Donald Dean Albers, 92, a long-time resident of Oklahoma City, died on December 14, 2010. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Leah Mignon Putty Albers; his children: daughter Leah Albers and husband Tom Roberts of Albuquerque, NM; son Paul W. Albers and wife Leigh Ann Albers of Oklahoma City, OK; daughter Dede Albers of Arlington, MA; and daughter Sue Ann Lawrence and husband Bart Lawrence of Ipswich MA; and his five adored grandchildren Brian Lawrence, Kara Lawrence Taylor who married Zachary Scott Taylor this past August, Leah and Kate Henoch, and Donald B. Albers. He is also survived by his sister Betty Hicks of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Don was born in Presho, South Dakota on October 7, 1918 to Frank and Hilda Albers. He grew up in Presho and graduated from Presho high school in 1936, in a class of 16. He attended Dakota Wesleyan College for three years as a pre-med student, and began medical studies at Northwestern University in Chicago in 1939. He graduated from Northwestern in 1943 as a Doctor of Medicine, and also with a masters degree in physiology that same year. He was in the Naval Reserve in medical school and commissioned upon graduation. He did his internship in the Navy and served in the Navy for the remainder of World War II. He was a medical officer with the Second Marine Division on Saipan, Okinawa, and Nagasaki, shortly after the atomic bomb was dropped on that city. While on a short assignment in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1944, Don met his future wife and life partner, Leah Mignon Putty. They married on August 12, 1946. From 1947 to 1950 the couple lived in Rochester, Minnesota while Don completed a residency in urology at the Mayo Clinic. He also earned a masters degree in urology in 1950. Two of their children were born at Mayo, Leah in 1948 and Paul in 1950. The family moved to Oklahoma City in 1950 where Don practiced urology with the Oklahoma City Clinic for 36 years. Their daughters Dede and Sue were born in Oklahoma City in 1953 and 1955.

During Don's long and distinguished medical career, he was a busy clinician, and a clinical professor with the OU Medical School. Over the years, he trained many residents in the urology specialty. He conducted research, wrote numerous articles in his field, presented papers at professional meetings, and served in leadership roles in regional and national urology organizations. He tried retirement for six months in 1986, but went back to work as medical director of the Oklahoma Lithotripsy Center, a position that extended nearly 10 years. In 2007, an Endowed Chair in Urology was established in his name at the OU College of Medicine.

Don was a loyal and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He had many life-long friends. He will be remembered for his sense of humor and sharp wit, his kind nature, his intellectual curiosity, and the example he set for his children and grandchildren of being committed to things beyond himself. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, December 20, 2010 at Crown Heights Christian Church. Should friends desire, contributions may be made in memory of Dr. Donald D. Albers to Variety Care Foundation, P.O. Box 2098, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 or to a charity of your choice.