David F. Hitzeman

David F. Hitzeman, DO, MACOI Dr. David F. Hitzeman, 75, passed away peacefully on December 14th surrounded by his wife and family. David leaves behind his loving wife of 56 years, Rita. They have three amazing sons, Troy (Tammy) Hitzeman of Oklahoma City, OK, Tate Hitzeman of Frisco, TX and Travis (Courtni) Hitzeman of Carrollton, TX. They are also blessed with seven beautiful grandchildren who were the light of his life. David is preceded in death by his parents, the Reverend Harold Hitzeman and Lucy Marie (Baumgartel) Hitzeman. He is survived by one brother Roger (Lee) Hitzeman and two sisters, Eunice of Wichita, KS, Linda of Jefferson City as well as two sisters-in-law, Judy Dullea from Colorado and Cris Wesbrooks of Augusta, KS. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. David and Rita knew right away they were meant for each other and married young. They have lived a true love story. They spent almost every day together, loved travel, friends and most of all, their family. David went to medical school at the Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, graduating in 1974. After graduating they traveled to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and he completed his internship. He then moved his family to Wellington, Kansas to practice general medicine for one year. It didn’t take long for David to realize that he wanted more than general medicine. The family moved to Tulsa in 1976 for his residency at OOH where he continued to practice internal medicine for over 40 years until he retired. David was always a champion of promoting osteopathic medicine and treating the underserved, by serving on numerous committees, and advocating for the profession. In the late 1990’s, he was appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma as Commissioner for the Physician Manpower Training Commission for the State of Oklahoma where he headed up an initiative to combat the physician shortage in rural Oklahoma by addressing medical school debt to encourage doctors to practice in rural parts of the state. The broad influence he had on the osteopathic profession was evident by the multitude of awards he won over his lifetime, the national and local advocacy he led, and the changes he helped to make to ensure DOs were represented where policy was being made. David served on the Board of Directors for the American College of Osteopathic Internists (ACOI), and on numerous committees. He was recognized as a Master Fellow of the ACOI, was named ACOI’s Internist of the Year in 2012 and received ACOI’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. in recognition of a lifetime of service and exemplary dedication to the profession in 2022. He also admirably served on the American Osteopathic Association’s (AOA) House of Delegates as an Oklahoma representative for over 30 years and as the AOA’s representative to the AOA Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC), a select volunteer group of physicians that represents the entire osteopathic profession in helping shape Medicare relative values. Over the years, he also received many state and national awards including the Physician of the Year Award from the Osteopathic Founders Foundation, the Outstanding and Distinguished Service and Physician of the Year Award given by the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association as well as the Clinician of the Year Award, which he won three times from 2002-2012. These accolades earned him the nickname the “Warrior” by his colleagues. We’ve lost our husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend today, however, heaven gained an angel. David was a loving family man and a true legend in the osteopathic world and will be remembered and missed by all. A viewing wake will be held on December 19th from 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm at Nichols-Stephens Funeral home in Grove, OK. A Celebration of Life will be on January 7th at 1:00 pm at their home church, Our Savior Lutheran Church at 146 S. Sheridan Road in Tulsa, OK. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the OFMQ (Oklahoma Foundation Medical Quality) 515 Central Park, Suite 101 in Oklahoma City or the Good Shepherd Hospice 1120 Neo Loop in Grove, OK, 74344 in David’s honor. Guestbook for David Hitzeman is located here:

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David F. Hitzeman

July 6, 1947 - December 14, 2022