Leonard Kapelovtiz Obituary

Obituary of Dr. Leonard H. Kapelovtiz

Leonard H. Kapelovitz, M.D.

Dr. Leonard H. Kapelovitz, a brilliant and compassionate psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, died at his home on April 14, 2026. His cherished wife and children were with him. Len was born in Dickinson, North Dakota on August 22, 1939 to Ignace and Ethel Kapelovitz. He, his parents, and his five siblings were the only Jews in town. Every Passover, they received a shipment of Kosher for Pesach food from Minneapolis.

Len loved his undergraduate years at the University of Chicago, where he conducted research on serotonin. He was one of the few psychiatrists of his generation to be comfortable with psychoanalysis, insight psychotherapy, and new developments in pharmaceutical treatments. When his son Dan was a little boy, someone asked him what his father did for a living. Dan said, "He makes sad people happy."

Len always said that the best part of attending Harvard Medical School was meeting Abbey Poze. Their first date, September 22, 1962, was celebrated every year thereafter. They were married on June 10, 1965.

In 1966, Len and Abbey moved to Denver for his psychiatry residency at the University of Colorado Medical School. Soon after, their beloved children Mara and Dan were born, and the four of them began making the wonderful friends who would forever enhance their lives.

After serving in the U.S. Air Force at Lowry Air Force Base, Len joined the faculty at the medical school. In 1972, he ran for the state legislature as a Democrat in heavily Republican District 14 – a hopeless but noble endeavor. In 1976, he opened his own practice. Within the medical community, he was widely respected for his intelligence, wit, common sense, and thoughtful leadership. His book, To Love and to Work: A Demonstration and Discussion of Psychotherapy, was published in 1976.

Most often the smartest person in the room, Len was usually the quietest. When he did speak, it was to say something very insightful, very funny, or both. He was a championship squash player and an enthusiastic trumpet player. He enjoyed traveling but was happiest in the home he loved so much, surrounded by the whole family.

Len is survived by his loving and beloved wife Abbey, his son Dan, his daughter Mara Goldman, her husband Adam and their sons Max and Sam, his brother Gerald and his sister-in-law Susan Krieger. He was pre-deceased by his parents, and his siblings Harold, Marcus, Sam and Loraine.

Private burial and shiva will be held in California. The family wishes to thank Dr. David Mellman, Dr. Jeffrey Rubinstein, Physical Therapist Stefan van Duursen, Tyler Katz RN of Brighton Hospice, Kal, Alice and, most of all, Kay. Those who wish may contribute in Len's memory to HIAS.