Longtime pediatrician remembered for helping kids, community

Dr. Charles Loveland gets an emotional hug from registered nurse Lisa Perico during his retirement party at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in August 2013. Loveland recently retired after 37 years in practice.

Mary Loveland knows it’s an invented word but said it’s the best way to describe her late husband, Chuck: “He was the goodest man I ever knew.”

Chuck Loveland, a longtime Lawrence pediatrician who donated his time to many professional and community organizations, died Friday at Lawrence Memorial Hospital from complications of a cardiac condition. He was 67.

Loveland treated thousands of children during his 37 years as a pediatrician in Lawrence. He retired from Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in 2013, and that year was selected as one of the Journal-World’s Only in Lawrence honorees.

At the time he told the newspaper that crying babies send shivers down the back of many a nonpediatric doctor, but not his. He sees those babies as a “friendly challenge” and enjoys watching them grow up.

“You get to see kids grow and develop, how they learn, how they make decisions. If they get ill or injured, you get a chance to help them,” he said. “Taking care of kids is a hoot.”

In addition to his work as a doctor, Loveland held many leadership roles for numerous professional and community organizations.

He continued his involvement with several of them beyond his retirement, his wife said, including reviewing applicants with the Kansas University Medical School Selection Committee and serving on the board of the school’s alumni association.

Mary Loveland said her husband was a model family man, too.

The couple were active in the Catholic church, serving as marriage prep counselors and in other roles, she said.

He made time for their own four children, too, she said. When they were young, among other things, he was an assistant scout master and, while his sometimes unpredictable schedule didn’t permit him to coach, served as a youth soccer referee and board member.

Mary Loveland said her husband had several heart attacks in the past. He had been hospitalized about a week and a half before he died.

“All of us associated with Lawrence Memorial Hospital are deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Dr. Loveland,” hospital president and CEO Gene Meyer said in a statement. “He was a well respected member of the LMH medical staff for 37 years, a beloved colleague and a genuine friend. He was a true physician leader, having served as Chief of Staff from 1984 to 1985 and as Chief of Pediatrics eight different times.”

Years ago, when he made the decision to practice in Lawrence, Children’s Mercy Hospital — where he was a standout resident — had been recruiting her husband, too, Mary Loveland said. But he had a clear reason for choosing what he did.

“I got into pediatrics to watch children grow up,” he told his wife. “That doesn’t happen in a tertiary hospital; it happens in a community.”

Loveland’s family will greet friends from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday at the Lied Center Pavilion, 1600 Stewart Ave.

Memorial mass is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday at St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center. The family plans a private inurnment.

Warren-McElwain Mortuary and Cremation Services is handling arrangements and memorial contributions.