David Welker Leitner, MD passed away on February 2, 2024. He was born on October 15, 1948, in Ann Arbor, Mich., to Mary Helen (Jaynes) Leitner and Jack Leitner, DDS. He grew up in Grand Haven, Mich., excelling in high school sports and setting a state record in the pole vault, which he held for five years. David finished his undergrad education at the University of Michigan, then medical school at Wayne State University. Following two years of naval military service, David completed a general surgery residency in Pittsfield, Mass. David married Linda Bouchelle during those years, in 1976. They met in Germany in 1971 while touring Europe.
His interest in a plastic surgery residency took them to Phoenix, Ariz., for two years and then a one-year microvascular hand surgery residency in San Francisco, Calif.
Burlington, Vt., became their home, with David joining the University of Vermont’s Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1984, retiring in 2015. He twice served as chair of the division and founded the UVM Medical Center Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery and Replantation Service. He played a key role in the Vermont Department of Health’s Children With Special Needs program by staffing the cleft palate and congenital hand clinics.
Dr. Leitner was recognized by his peers as a skilled clinician and exemplary teacher to medical students and residents. As a caring doctor, he put his patients’ needs and desires first, listening intently and emphatically. Relationships were paramount to him — his patients, friends, and sweetheart and wife, Linda. If you were in his orbit, you could always count on him.
David played squash on a regular basis early in the morning with his buddies before heading to the hospital. Golf became a passion for David and Linda, and they planned trips to play and explore new places. A trip to Mexico became an annual vacation spot.
Dr. Leitner volunteered with a humanitarian group called Interplast International. This group’s goal was to travel to countries needing help with surgical procedures, as well as teaching the host country’s medical team these skills in places like Peru, Cyprus and Vietnam. He also volunteered in Haiti and Russia.
He was dedicated to every aspect of his life. He is missed by those who knew him as a friend.
A memorial service will take place on June 18, 2024, 4 to 6 p.m. Please meet at the UVM Davis Auditorium at 4 p.m. Afterward we will join together in the Hoehl Gallery until 6 p.m.
Donations may be made to the Dr. David Leitner and Mrs. Linda Leitner Excellence Fund for the benefit of the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of Vermont.
This article appears in The Summer Preview 2024.