John Singleton
An ICA Tribute to John Singleton
In the face of great loss, no words convey the sadness we feel for those who loved John Singleton. Yet we dare to say Death is neither a curse nor a blessing, an end or a beginning, but only that it is a wondrous, frightening and redemptive reality. It is a step into the Unknown Unknown. It is sacred, and it is good.
We are grateful for what we learned and how our lives were enriched because of the unique life of John Singleton. We offer here our appreciation for the contributions he made to the life and work of the Ecumenical Institute/ICA.
John participated in the Institute work in the Local Church Experiment with a cluster of Denver churches and particularly at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church. The focus was on lay leadership to bring intentionality to the church’s role as mission to the world.
John also worked with the Institute in Africa designing a community-based program to combat HIV/AIDS first in Ghana in 2002. This was during a time that Africa was the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. John was part of a team to visit hospitals and clinics and document the Ghanaian health system response to HIV/AIDS. Later John would go to Uganda to help launch the Institute’s Community based HIV/AIDS program to empower and enable communities to challenge HIV/AIDS.
The Institute would like to celebrate John’s life and his unique contribution to caring for this planet and being part of the People of Care. Death is an experience that each and every living creature will finally experience. However, we also understand that every single life is unique and unrepeatable, and, therefore, today we come to acknowledge a very unique death. There has been no death like the death of John Singleton and no life such as the unique and unrepeatable life of John Singleton.
Obituary
John Weir, M.D was a loving husband and father, physician, researcher, and celebrated teacher in the fields of gastroenterology and medical student education, an engaged and beloved member of the community wherever he went, and a lifelong enthusiast of the outdoors in the West.
Born in Denver in 1931, John graduated as valedictorian from East High School, summa cum laude from Yale College, and third in his class at Harvard Medical School. John met his wife of sixty years, Louise, in Boston during residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.
They returned to Denver in 1962, where John was a practicing physician and enjoyed a forty-five-year career at the University of Colorado School of Medicine as Professor of Medicine and Dean for Faculty Affairs. John was a globally recognized clinician and expert on Crohn’s disease, including as the coordinator of the landmark National Cooperative Crohn’s Disease Study that validated the Index used to assess Crohn’s disease therapy.
After retirement, John and Louise moved to Santa Fe, NM, where they lived for over ten years as active lovers of the arts and their community. John was an expert skier and avid fly fisherman. He learned to fly after retirement. He trekked in Nepal and backpacked in the Rockies with family and friends. He loved scuba diving and played the oboe. He was known for his gardening skills and loved to keep a steady supply of home grown tomatoes.
He is survived by his wife Louise; his four children: John (Rob), Martha, David, and William, and seven grandchildren.