MARBLEHEAD – Dr. Lawrence Charles Hulefeld of Marblehead died unexpectedly at the age of 75 on October 15, 2018. He was playing the game he loved, teeing off at the Dooks Golf Club in Kerry, Ireland, on the first full day of a bucket list trip with two of his dearest friends. Moments earlier, Larry had observed, “this looks like heaven.” Though devastating to those he left behind, it was a fitting end to an extraordinary life of love and service.
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Larry was one of seven children of Anne and Frank Hulefeld, Jr. He returned regularly and remained close with his siblings Tom, Jim, Ed, Rick, Anita, and David, and their families. While visiting, “Ladou” would indulge in his local favorites of Skyline Chili and Graeter’s ice cream. No summer was complete without the annual pilgrimage to the Hulefeld family summer camp on Torch Lake in Michigan, where he spent long days with loved ones water skiing, sailing, fishing, playing shuffleboard, and enjoying his mother’s famed cherry cobbler. These roots firmly grounded Larry for a life of kindness, generosity, easy going humor, and love.
His family doubled in size with his marriage on July 11, 1970 to Mary Susan Sacksteder, herself one of 10 children, from Adrian, Mich., whom he met while attending Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, Ill.. The sprawling Sacksteder clan quickly grew to love him as one of their own.
In 1970, engaged but not yet married, Larry interviewed on a whim at Lynn Hospital, in Lynn, for a position as an E.R. physician while visiting friends in Boston. Never one to ask for directions, he got lost on the drive back and found himself in Marblehead. Larry bought a sub from Marblehead House of Pizza, drove out to the lighthouse on a stranger’s suggestion, and lunched overlooking the harbor. Afterwards he called Susan to report he had found a job, and home. He would never leave.
A co-founder of Greater Lynn Emergency Physicians, Larry would spend the next 48 years serving generations of patients at Lynn Hospital, Union Hospital, AtlantiCare Medical Center, and Lahey Clinic North. He was the consummate physician, a beloved colleague, staff favorite, and constant presence in the lives of his work family. He was as committed to his coworkers as his patients. Indeed, without fail, he reported dutifully to every shift — day or night — with a dozen donuts in hand. As others began counting down to retirement, Larry hoped aloud that he could keep going. He “retired” twice, only to return, and ended his days providing urgent care at Lynn Community Health Center for the past several years. His professional legacy is one of service, joy, and dedication. He worked until the end, and he loved every second.
Ultimately, however, his truest devotion was to his family: his wife of 48 years, Susan, his sons Sam, Rob, and Ben, and their families, including daughters-in-law Gina, Molly, and Karen and his five grandchildren Isabelle, Ava, Julia, Charlotte, and Marina. He was a loving husband and incomparable father and grandfather.
Service information: Relatives and friends are invited to A Celebration of Life Service which will be held at the Eastern Yacht Club, 47 Foster St., Marblehead on Saturday, November 3rd from noon to 3 P.M. The Hulefeld family kindly asks that in lieu of flowers or other condolence gifts that donations be made to Lynn Community Health Center, P.O. Box 526, Lynn, MA 01903 (www.lchcnet.org/donate) or to Children, Inc. 333 Madison Ave, Covington, KY 41011 (http://www.childreninc.org/support-us/donate/). Assisting the family is The O’Donnell Funeral Home, Salem. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please visit www.odonnellfuneralservice.com.
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