Donald Dee Harville

Donald Harville was born in Morgan Texas, a small town in Bosque County halfway been Fort Worth and Waco. His mother passed when he was 16. Her life was taken by melanoma. His grief at her loss was overwhelming. But he had a loving father, Austin, and two loving siblings, Gene and Gail. They all saw in Don a brightness that would take him far beyond the small world of Morgan. Don enrolled at Baylor University at 16. He completed medical school at the University of Texas, Southwest. After medical school, Don left Texas to complete a medical internship at Johns Hopkins before completing his residency in Dermatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. Don would ultimately make his way to Albuquerque, but not until after he spent two years in Hawaii working for the Public Health Service. While in Hawaii Don frequently traveled to China and Japan. He fondly recalled flying on C-130 "puddle jumpers" to these destinations with friends he made in the Air Force. Far more than diversions, these excursions impacted Don deeply and cultivated within him a profound respect and love for the architecture and art of East Asia. Above all else, Don was captivated by the gardens in Kyoto. When Don settled in Albuquerque in 1966 he did not forget what he learned in Asia. He cultivated relationships with local architects, landscape designers and art historians to help him maintain a connection to Asia through the homes he lived in and the gardens he planted. Even his medical offices had an Asian aesthetic. While Asia instilled in Don a love for art and architecture, his primary passion was for his work as a physician. Don settled on New Mexico in large part because it is the melanoma capital of the world. He resisted the temptation to turn his practice into a medical spa and instead focused on treating and preventing melanoma along with other forms of skin cancer. It was through his commitment to his patients that Don honored the loss of his mother. His commitment to medicine extended beyond his practice. He volunteered his time at the school of medicine at UNM and helped train dermatology residents. Don was beloved by his patients and his staff alike. While his relationships with his staff were always professional, he viewed them in many ways as family members. He will be revered for his commitment to them. He will also be remembered lovingly by his wife Heidi, sons Aaron and Britt, his daughters through marriage Jo Anne and Lisa along with his many grandchildren. Don spent his final days at Avista Memory care. Don's family would like to extend to them their gratitude for making his final days as comfortable as possible. He loved to work in their beautiful garden. For those interested in honoring Don's memory please consider a donation to Albuquerque Healthcare for the Homeless: abqhch.org.