Readers honor beloved doctors

EDITOR’S NOTE: After several decades of medical service to the area, the Colglazier/Demmel Medical Clinic closed for good on Friday, June 30. On Facebook, the Grant Tribune-Sentinel requested people to share their memories of Dr. Cliff Colglazier and Dr. Ruth Demmel. Several people responded, with their responses printed below. We encourage others to share their memories of Dr. Colglazier and Dr. Demmel on the Grant Tribune-Sentinel’s Facebook page. The Tribune-Sentinel salutes Dr. Colglazier and Dr. Demmel for their passionate care and dedication to Perkins County and the area for so many years. They will be missed!

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In the summer of 1979, shortly after Dr. Colglazier opened his clinic, I went to his office for prenatal care of my first baby. Interestingly enough, Cliff and Janie were also expecting a baby in January 1980.

He delivered our second daughter in December of 1984, having to leave a family Christmas gathering. Lucky for all of us, she was a fast delivery and he made it back to the party in time for dessert.

Through the next forty years, he was there for our family throughout good times and bad. He always went above and beyond what was expected. On several occasions when we were referred to a specialist in Denver, the doctor commented on what an accurate diagnostician Dr. Colglazier was.

Our community was blessed again when Dr. Demmel joined the clinic. She easily found her niche and also offered excellent medical care. We experienced several interesting times with Ruth when our younger daughter became a daredevil and needed stitches on more than one occasion. A memory I will always cherish is when Ruth came to our house after my husband, Bill, died. His wish was to die at home with family. She came as a doctor, but stayed an additional hour as a friend. 

I went to high school with both Cliff and Ruth an have known them for many years. They have spent their professional lives making our community a better place. We will miss them at the clinic, but glad they are going to have more time to spend with family and enjoy the adventures that may come their way. With love and gratitude,

Jeanie Daiss 

We moved to Grant over 21 years ago for Russ to become pastor of Grant Evangelical Free Church. Three weeks after we moved from Dallas, Texas, our youngest son, Kenyon, who was not quite three at the time, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Dr. Colglazier and Dr. Demmel were amazing with how they cared for our family then, and how they have cared for us since! We are beyond grateful to them for their kindness to us!  

Russ and Jeanne Gaar and family

When I was young, the Colglazier family were our neighbors. We spent countless hours playing in their immaculate back yard. I know they had to have gotten tired of us knocking on their sliding glass door asking, “Can we play in your yard?” I also know that we did not always leave it the way we found it. I never remember any complaints, even though they had good reason to. My sisters and I spent a lot of time at the Colglazier house!

Any time I had any ailment, I would run across the yard to the clinic. One time I was stung by a bee, so I went racing over to the office and Cliff took me right in to the back. No appointment necessary. I was pretty dramatic, if I remember right. Even after we moved out of town and I got older, if I came in for an appointment he would always say, “Hi, neighbor!” 

I had not been to the clinic for quite a while after leaving for college and getting married. When I was on my honeymoon I needed a doctor so I made an overseas call to Cliff after hours and he told me exactly what I needed to do and what medicine to look for in Mexico. He saved my honeymoon and never batted an eye that I had called him at home. 

We cannot forget about Janie as she was also a vital part of the clinic and was always a smiling face at the front desk. She used to help me with my 4-H projects and even made a bunny costume one year for Halloween. Always friendly and patient.

Andrea (Hutt) Bazan

Dr. Cliff’s crowning glory was that he did not refuse a patient. We relied on him as a family for emergencies. In 1988, my oldest daughter had a very sick baby who was about 4-months-old. She had taken him to two ERs and had seen two doctors. She called us and asked if she thought she could bring him to Dr Cliff, and I said, “sure”.  

Dr. Cliff thought the baby had whooping cough and put him in the hospital right away.  Dr. Ernest Colglazier was walking by the room in the hospital and heard him cough and said, “Yes, that’s whooping cough.” Dr. Cliff told us, “We are taking this baby to Denver to Children’s Hospital.” We all jumped in the van and went to Denver with Dr. Cliff and two of his kids. Dr. Cliff got the baby admitted to the Denver Children’s Hospital after talking to someone who he knew there who trusted him as a doctor, which was a very good thing. We were so grateful. The baby’s life was saved as he was a very sick baby. If anyone would see this baby now, he’s a strong big man and you would never know it. Dr. Cliff saved his life by acting right away!

Doni Holaway

Thank you, Dr. Cliff, for your amazing hospitality and care of our mother when she had COVID in 2020. Once again, he helped our family with his excellent care and services. When we heard Dr. Colglazier made a house call to check on our mom after she had tested positive for COVID, we couldn’t believe it. Not only did he suit up and go there, he took her right to the hospital so she could have every chance of surviving the crazy virus. He is our hero! Knowing that Dr. Cliff and the staff personally saw to her needs gave us great comfort and peace of mind.

Thank you Dr. Colglazier!

The Holaway Clan

Brian, Devon & Calli

When my husband Bill was in Africa several years ago, he became very ill. Fortunately, he was traveling with a registered nurse, Marilyn Regier. She called Dr. Cliff in the middle of the night to get his advice on what to do. It’s a long story, but the end result was he made it back to the United States safely and treatment was completed here. Dr. Cliff was always available for us.

Cindi Wright:

The Colglazier/Demmel Clinic was pretty much an urgent care clinic. I remember helping with lacerations, chest pains, uti, abdominal pains! We always would do X-rays with a very old machine. All of us girls would have to run downstairs in five minutes to rinse the film and put it in the other developer mix. We had to do that at least twice. Then Dr. Colglazier or Demmel would either put a splint on or cast it, and then see them in about one to two weeks for check ups. We would see about 50 people  a day and sometimes more. It was always busy! Both doctors would always have time to fit them in the schedule. Never did we say, sorry, you will have to go to the ER. They were the ER!!!

Traci (Shalla) Raffaeli

Former Employee

I had just spent fall semester 2007 in Lincoln, a speck among 250,000 other people. Wherever I went, I was constantly hearing, “No way, we’re closed!” From pharmacies, restaurants, even my own campus cafeteria, everyone was closed. All of which made my experience at the Coglazier clinic during winter break all the more remarkable. 

I’d been on antibiotics to combat a bad cold, when itchy patches started popping out all over. “How did mosquitoes survive in this blizzard,” my family joked. 

 My mom called Cliff to tell him I had hives and we didn’t know why. Even though it was after hours and New Year’s night to boot, he told us to come into the clinic anyway. 

He gave me a medication that might take 30 minutes to work, but might not have any effect at all. But instead of waiting it out in the cold clinic, he opened up his home to me, brought me a blanket and some tea, even set me up with a TV to watch. I was incredulous! This wasn’t just a clinic, this was being part of a family. As grateful as I was to be a college freshman experiencing new things in a new city, I realized small town living can be pretty amazing, too.

Leah (Dahlkoetter) 

Wissmann

My family and I moved here about 9 years ago. We made the decision to leave big city living and moved to Grant for a job opportunity.

As most parents know, looking and finding new doctors after moving can be stressful. I was told about the older doctors at Colglazier Clinic or the younger doctors at the Hospital Clinic. As we all know, most of our elders are the wiser ones.

It was the best decision I made. They have always been able to squeeze us in when a sickness arose. I never felt rushed when at an appointment and they actually gave you the time you deserved and needed.

Ruth Demmel has been there for the craziness of two of my girls and their stomach issues, bad gallbladders and her great referrals to great surgeons. She helped my other daughter though a teenage pregnancy and was there to deliver my grandson into this world. 

She helped this Mama out when my daughter was pregnant, my mother was dying and my body decided to hit early menopause. It was an extremely hard time for me, she listened and then steered me in the right direction to feeling better, which I’m forever grateful.

It’s not just the doctor stuff she does, she truly cares for her patients. Every time I see her she’s asking about my girls and what they are up to. She remembers what you tell her and she never rushed when chatting with you.

I could go on and on about Dr. Demmel and all the kind people at the Colglazier Clinic. 

You will be missed dearly, but we wish you an amazing retirement.

The Kempf Family