Kevin Kittleson, 73 (June 18, 1952-March 10, 2026)

Kevin Peter Kittleson, M.D. (73), passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 from complications of ALS, surrounded by friends and family. He was a beloved father, brother, doctor and friend to many. 

Kevin was born on June 18, 1952, in Lansing, Mich., to Arthur (Bud) Claussen Kittleson, M.D., and Christine VanderZalm Kittleson, P.T. He and his brother, Kyle Mason Kittleson, Ph.D., were raised in Ann Arbor, Mich., during the school year and alongside the lake in Grayling, Mich., in the summers. He graduated from Ann Arbor Huron High School in 1970, where he was a captain of the ice hockey team. Growing up, Kevin, Kyle and sister-in-law Stephanie spent summers road-tripping across the western United States, hiking, camping and building deep relationships with the land. 

Combined with his formative years on the lake in Grayling, Kevin developed a deep love and respect for the natural world. An avid outdoorsman, he lived for the rivers, mountains, lakes and trails; skiing, rafting, hiking, fly fishing, birdwatching and kayaking. He passed that love on to his daughter, Kelsey, who turned it into a career and lifelong passion, being reminded of her beloved dad and best friend in every hike, every new bird she spots and every stroke of her paddle.

Kevin earned his bachelor’s degree at Albion College, where he designed his own major in biochemistry with a focus on prostaglandin biosynthesis, and played college lacrosse and ice hockey recreationally. He went on to medical school at Wayne State University in Detroit, developing a passion for emergency medicine as it emerged as a new specialty. After completing his internship at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, Wash., and his residency at Detroit General/Receiving Hospital, he moved to Coeur d’Alene. There, he served as president of Kootenai Emergency Physicians, helped launch the Kootenai County Paramedic Program and Mountain West Rescue Dogs, working alongside his loyal dog, Fang.

Drawn by the river’s epic whitewater, he later moved to Boise, where he kayaked and rafted for many years while serving as director of the Emergency Department at St. Luke’s, director of the Ada County EMS Department and chairman of the Idaho Medical Association EMS Committee. While in Boise, he met and married Leanna Paulsen (married 1988, divorced 2017). After seven years in Boise, they took a year off to travel the country before settling in Sandpoint, where Kevin joined Bonner General Hospital’s Emergency Department, directed several local EMS services and worked with the Schweitzer Ski Patrol.

Kevin and Leanna lived in the Selle Valley, where they welcomed their only child, Kelsey, in May 1998. As a family of lifelong environmentalists, they spent winters on the mountain and summers on the lake. In 2001, the family moved to Sun Valley, where Kevin worked as an emergency physician at St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center. He retired in 2011, and the family returned to Sandpoint to enjoy all that the lake and Schweitzer had to offer. Kevin also excitedly awaited a new issue of the Reader each week, and believed deeply in independent journalism.

In 2017, Kevin embarked on a grand adventure through the Southwest in a motorhome; a trip meant to last six months that stretched into eight years, split between winters down south and summers on Lake Pend Oreille. Among Kevin’s and Kelsey’s favorite memories were the stretches they shared down south, exploring the deserts of the Southwest, filled with lots of laughter and Kevin’s witty sense of humor.

Kevin is survived by his daughter Kelsey, his sister-in-law Stephanie Ortino Kittleson, Kelsey’s partner Alex Knudtson, Kevin’s granddog Millie and many friends who became family. He is preceded in death by his brother Kyle; mother, Christine; father, Arthur (Bud) and Bud’s wife, Lois. 

Kevin loved life and lived a good one; a celebration of life will be held in the summer. 

Submitted by the family of Kevin Kittleson.