Resident of Mill Valley

Dr. David Lee Chittenden was born in Detroit and raised during World War II. He grew up in a neighborhood near the writer for the Lone Ranger and Sergeant Preston of the Royal Mounties. His father was a fourth-generation physician. He volunteered for the US Army Medical Corps, eventually being sent to Okinawa. Dr. Chittenden moved often with his parents and older brother during this time, living in Atlantic City, Miami Beach and then back to Michigan where he was fortunate enough to attend Cranbrook High School. From there, Dr. Chittenden moved to New York to attended Cornell University where he realized that he wasn’t suited for college quite yet – so he volunteered to join the Army. This is where Dr. Chittenden developed his love for travelling. Through his time in the Army he was able to visit Berlin, London, Paris, and Rome. When his voluntary service concluded, he returned to school at Cornell and completed his undergraduate education, continuing to Albany Medical College, an institution he has supported throughout his life. He had been fortunate enough to visit California while he was in college and decided to do his internship at Kaiser in San Francisco. He had fond memories of this experience, and was able to do far more than interns these days are allowed to do, including a gallbladder operation, an appendectomy, and a trephine operation for a subdural hematoma. But the practice that really spoke to him was orthopedics – the diagnostic and surgical challenges spoke to his active mind. After six years of training and working he took time off for more travelling, ending up in London where he did locums at Charing Cross Hospital and St. Thomas Hospital. Upon his return to San Francisco, he married a wonderful woman, Lynda Chittenden. They enjoyed more travel together, visiting Tunisia, Edinburgh, Finland, and Sweden, where Dr. Chittenden worked with various physicians. He and Lynda returned to California and moved to Mill Valley where they had a son, Benjamin Chittenden. Lynda became a teacher in the Mill Valley schools and Dr. Chittenden embarked on a solo practice that spanned over forty years. They eventually divorced and he remarried a lovely woman, Claudia, his partner for over forty years. The two of them shared a love of travel, food, good wine, and family. Between the two of them they had seven grandchildren that brought them endless joy and laughter. Dr. Chittenden and his wife Claudia loved to volunteer and give back to their favorite charities, including KQED, the Mill Valley Historical Society, and Planned Parenthood to name a few. Unfortunately, Claudia passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2021. Dr. Chittenden was by her side and took incredible care of her in her last days. He was fortunate to meet and marry a lovely woman, Meta. They travelled together, visiting Denmark and spending time in Mill Valley and Sonoma. Meta, and his daughter Erica, were with him when he died peacefully at his home in Mill Valley.

Dr. Chittenden is survived by his son Ben and his wife Michele, along with their son Cody; his son Ted, his wife Michelle, and their daughters, Eleanor, Amelia and Penelope; and his daughter Erica, her husband John, and their children, Jack, Dan and Scout. Dr. Chittenden requested there be no service and that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to a charity of your choice.