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Dr. Christian Our dear Christian has died. The man we so much respected, revered and loved left suddenly on January 19, 2009. He leaves a powerful legacy in his energy, his strong work ethic, his marveling curiosity, his will to do good, his interest in civil rights, and his great love of the outdoors. Born Christian Berend Johann von Hoyningen-Heune on August 28, 1932 on the beautiful Blumenhagen farm in the rolling hills of Berlin, the warmth of well tended earth gave him a love of gardening, and of the wilderness, that drew him always out of doors. A refugee from the war, his American mother brought the family back to New England where he finished high school at the Woodstock Country School in Vermont, achieved Phi Beta Kappa his junior year, and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, in 1954. Recruited to study medicine at Harvard Medical School, he took his new wife, Jeanne Clark and first son to Cambridge, MA. He received the Maimonides prize his first year at Harvard, graduated in 1958, and became a citizen of the United States in 1959. He completed his internship and residency at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, specializing in internal medicine. They moved, now with four children, to Germany in 1962 where he served medical duty as a Captain in the US Air Force at Sembach Air Base. The family traveled extensively throughout Europe, he took up flying for a short time and received his pilot's license, enjoyed photography, visiting castle ruins, and connected again with beloved relatives in Germany. After his tour of duty, the family moved to the wide open spaces of New Mexico in 1965, and he started practice with the renowned Lovelace Clinic. He dedicated himself to his patients, enjoyed work with his colleagues, and often worked the ER. Adventures all around the Southwest on family camping and hiking trips, learning about it's native peoples and places, mountaineering, skiing, rafting, even scuba diving, and as an accomplished sailor lovingly passing on his knowledge to all his children, built his love for New Mexico. His reputation as an intensely compassionate and caring physician grew, he joined a regular broadcast on KNME-TV for a time, to help people understand medical science, and continued to make house calls until his retirement. He was always curious about the world around him, liked to name the peaks he climbed, the native wildlife, and the flowers and trees. He loved music, played the flute and taught us singing in chorus, especially German songs. He was a man of ideas, and continually studied to understand nature and science, politics, and the history of the peoples of the world, was a member of the ACLU, and loved to discuss and share his fascination and concern. He scaled all 54 of Colorado's 14,000 foot peaks at over 50 years of age, made a pact with himself and bagged 65 peaks over 14,000 feet before he was 65, several solo. He also reached the summit of Mexico's 17,802 foot Mt. Popocatepetl. He was an avid snow camper, kept vigorously active, running the La Luz trail, and participated in half marathons up to age 65. In his retirement, he worked tirelessly towards the preservation of the NM environment, volunteered much time at the Cibola National Forest Service, Open Spaces Program, removing graffiti, clearing trails, and leading nature hikes. He was an inspiring docent at the New Mexico Natural History Museum in Albuquerque, where he passed on his enthusiasm for Southwest geology and paleontology to visitors of all ages. Doctor Christian von Huene is survived by six children, Christian Berend Robert of Albuquerque, Sergei Johann of Albuquerque, Gregor of San Jose, CA, Karl-Heinrich of Madison, WI, Andre' Sievers of Taos, NM, Ariadne Marie Barclay of Albuquerque; his first wife Jeanne Clark of Berkeley, CA; his fourth wife Anne Claire of Albuquerque; brother Friedrich of Brookline; sisters Dorothee Greenberg and Sigrid MacRae of New York, Brigitte Reid of Michigan; four grandsons and a granddaughter, and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and uncles around the world. We love you Opa, missya, loveya. Services will be held on Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 3 p.m., at the First Unitarian Church. In lieu of flowers, please donate in his name to the New Mexico Natural History Museum or to the Open Spaces Program of Sandia Ranger District.
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