Memorial planned today for local cardiologist

A funeral for Dr. William F. Stifter, a cardiologist known among his colleagues as a tenacious patient advocate, is scheduled for 11 a.m. today at St. Aloysius Church in Spokane.

Stifter, 64, died last weekend in the crash of a small airplane on Lake Chelan.

“He used to say to me, ‘When all else fails, let’s make sure we’re listening to our patients,’ ” said Diane Brennan, a registered nurse who worked closely with him for 18 years. “He had a special way with people. For me he was more than a boss. He was a friend.”

Friends and colleagues of the Spokane physician say he steered his keen intellect to the care of his patients, lifted co-workers’ spirits with his smile, and embraced his Catholic faith as a way to live and help others. Stifter treated thousands of patients during his 29 years of cardiology practice in Spokane, where he was a partner in Heart Clinics Northwest.

Friend and colleague Dr. Eric Orme called Stifter a gentleman with an eye for beauty. He was a classical music enthusiast, enjoyed fine food and wine and kept a vase of fresh-cut flowers on his desk. He reserved his tenacity for ensuring his patients received the best care.

“He would never just look the other way,” Orme said. “Bill was a remarkable physician in his thoroughness and compassion for those in his care.

“He practiced medicine as if that were his ministry.”

Stifter was born the eldest of eight children on Jan. 26, 1944, on Chicago’s South Side. His family moved to Burbank, Calif., where he went to school before accepting an athletic scholarship to play football for the University of Washington. He played defensive back and halfback and studied biology. He attended medical school at Georgetown University.

He married Patti Hatfield, and they raised two daughters, Elissa and Anne, and a son, John. Survivors also include his mother, Geraldine Stifter, of Santa Clarita, Calif., and his seven siblings.

Sherry Fischer, a family friend from St. Aloysius, called Stifter a man of faith who applied his spirituality to everyday life.

Stifter geared his medical practice toward the care of the whole person.

He was a general cardiologist with an interest in preventing heart disease or detecting it early to help people care for themselves.

“That’s an aspect of medicine that isn’t so glamorous,” said Dr. Michael Ring, a clinic colleague, “but perhaps more important.”

Stifter also was open to different ideas about medicine, a refreshing change, Ring said, adding that Stifter became an expert at reading special coronary CAT scans to help detect artery blockage.

“That fit so well into his sensitivity of helping patients early,” he said.

Memorial funds honoring Stifter have been established in care of the Sacred Heart Foundation, William F. Stifter Heart Research Fund.