Alan Lyndale Schooley was born on February 27, 1969, in Guymon, Oklahoma. He passed away the morning of New Year’s Eve, 2024, ending his courageous journey with Young Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and Posterior Cortical Atrophy.
He spent his early childhood years in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he loved hanging out at OSU football games and living the wonderful life of a kid roaming free in a safe college town. His family moved to Waldorf, Germany, during his high school years, where he played endless rounds of golf. He even got to play St. Andrews in Scotland. He attended Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, on a golf and academic scholarship. He graduated in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Biology and minoring in Philosophy and Business.
While at Samford, he met Kimberly Grey Younce, whom he married in May of 1993. He graduated from medical school at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1996. He completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2000 and joined Lexington Pediatrics as a general pediatrician. His daughter, Lauren Grey, was born in October of 2000, one day before he sat for the Medical Boards Exam.
Alan’s real calling was for public health pediatrics, so he accepted a position at Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, New Mexico in 2002, where he served the Navajo community from 2002 to 2011. During his time at NNMC, Alan served in various roles, ranging from Acting Chair of Pediatrics, Vice-Chief of Staff, Chief of Nursery Services, and the Medical Executive Committee as well as many other committees and task forces. He also worked with DNA Legal Services to institute the first medical-legal collaborative on a Native American reservation in the United States.
Kimberly and Alan welcomed into the world their son, Mark James, in June of 2004. The Schooleys lived on the hospital grounds in Shiprock until shortly after Mark was born, when they moved to Farmington, NM. Alan thrived in the outdoor adventure of the Four Corners Region, setting out on hiking, backpacking, ice climbing, skiing, running and snowshoeing adventures in his beloved Jeep Wrangler. He taught Kimberly and ultimately Lauren and Mark how to ski, hike, backpack, snowshoe, and explore nature.
During his time at Shiprock, Alan’s draw to public health began to extend beyond the US, through medical volunteer trips to Peru and Ecuador and then ultimately to Nkhoma and Mulanje in Malawi in southern Africa. He had always dreamed of working somewhere in Africa as a physician, and that opportunity arose in 2011, when he accepted a position with UCLA Medical School to be the Clinical Director of EQUIP-Malawi based at Partners in Hope in Lilongwe, Malawi. Alan, Kimberly, Lauren and Mark boarded a plane in Albuquerque with 18 checked bags to set out for a nearly 8-year adventure in Malawi. Alan’s work on this USAID project sought to improve access to HIV care in rural health settings. He also still provided clinical pediatric care. EQUIP developed viral load testing capacity, and Alan later served as the Chair of the 3rd Line Expert Committee for the Malawi Ministry of Health involved in developing a program for identifying patients at risk for resistance to 2nd line ART drugs. Alan’s work also extended beyond Malawi into Mozambique, and a Hilton Foundation grant expanded their work into integrating early childhood development support for mothers with HIV. For more information on Alan's work in Malawi, see https://www.uab.edu/medicine/magazine/summer-2012/high-stakes-in-lilongwe
During their time in Malawi, the Schooleys traveled extensively throughout Malawi and southern Africa. Kimberly taught IB Theatre and Theory of Knowledge at Bishop Mackenzie International School, where Mark and Lauren were students. A move that started out as a two-year stint turned into an almost 8 year adventure, which meant Malawi really did become “home” for them all.
When Lauren graduated from high school in Malawi and was headed back to Maryland Institute College of Art, the family moved back to the Four Corners, settling in Durango, Colorado. Alan rejoined the Indian Health Service at Northern Navajo Medical Center in April of 2019. In November of 2020, Alan was diagnosed with Young Onset Alzheimer’s Disease and then later with Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA).
Although ALZ/PCA took away driving and biking from Alan early on, he and Kimberly were determined to keep exploring. They got in a few more ski seasons, loads of hiking, a family backpacking trip, several camping trips, lots of snowshoeing, and explored Montana, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and visited family in Alabama.
Alan also committed to running as much as he possibly could, spending countless hours on the Durango River Trail and the Overend Trails. In February 2022, Alan ran from Cortez to Shiprock as part of the Prayer Run across the Navajo Nation to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People. He ran the Steamworks Fort Lewis Half Marathon in June of 2023 in just a bit over 2 hours. His daughter Lauren, an illustrator and designer, hand-lettered a t-shirt and sign for him to wear that read: “Alzheimer’s Can’t Stop Me From Running.” Alan also worked hard to stay fit with this disease, and he absolutely loved his workouts with Aaron Coats at Illete Fitness.
He also used his running to raise funds for the National Council of Dementia Minds (NCDM), a nonprofit organization created by people living with dementia specifically for people living with dementia. Alan joined a support group at NCDM made up of physicians living with dementia that was a meaningful experience for him.
Alan and Kimberly also became active members of the Durango Dementia Coalition (DDC), of which Kimberly is now the Vice-Chair. Alan participated in the Early-Stage Support group led by Janine Hearn, who with her husband Dave and their excellent Home Instead staff, has been a godsend to Alan and the whole family during this journey. Numerous DDC members and many friends have surrounded Alan with care and support.
The Schooleys were also supported by St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, where they attended primarily the Wednesday Noon service. The Reverend Debbie Shew was a constant friend and listening ear during this journey.
In December, Alan was cared for by the amazing staff at Mercy’s Hospice House. They cared for Alan as well as the rest of the family and made his passing as peaceful as possible.
Alan is survived by his wife Kimberly; daughter Lauren Grey; son Mark James; parents Neal and Shirley Schooley; brother David Schooley; sister Angela Washington and brother-in-law Steve Washington and their children Joshua, Grace and Matthew; parents in-law James and Mary Sue Younce; and countless other aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends literally from all over the world.
This past year Kimberly and Alan set up a scholarship in Alan’s name to support the Family Medicine Program at Nkhoma Mission Hospital in Malawi to continue Alan’s legacy. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to that scholarship at https://africanmissionhealthcare.org/donation/alan-schooley/
Alan's funeral service will be held at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Durango, Colorado on Monday, January 6, at 2:00 PM. The service will also be live-streamed. The direct link to YouTube if accessing from a computer via an internet browser is: https://www.youtube.com/@StMarksDurango/featured Those wishing to view may need to refresh their screens to get it to appear. The alternative for watching would be via the YouTube app found on either an iOS or Android phone or tablet. Or, on a smart TV. After starting the app, find the search symbol/screen to search on "St. Mark's Church Durango".
Monday, January 6, 2025
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church
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