Vilis Ervins Kilpe, M.D.

Vilis Ervins Kilpe, M.D., age 86, of Columbia, MD passed away on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at home surrounded by his family. He was born on April 24, 1936, in Alūksne, in the northeast area of Latvia to the late Ervins Kilpe and Velta Kubelnieks Kilpe. He was the loving husband of Dagnija Calitis Kilpe. Dr. Kilpe was a retired physician specializing in internal medicine. His family came to the United States after years spent fleeing the war in Europe—he, his brother, and mother narrowly escaping the occupying Russian forces in Latvia. Dr. Kipe’s father, a captain in the Lavian Army, was arrested and sentenced as a political prisoner to twenty years in the Gulag in Siberia. After the arrest, the family managed to dodge the fighting and bombing, moving from town to town, living in the woods for months, and later managing to find refuge in displaced persons camps in Germany. In 1950, the family set sail along with other refugees from Bremerhaven, Germany on the USS General C. H. Muir, and arrived in New York in the spring. Dr. Kilpe’s family settled in Ohio, and he would later graduate with honors from the pre-med program at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana in 1958. He received a scholarship to the Washington University School of Medicine, in St. Louis, Missouri, graduating with honors in 1962. He was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in 1963, eventually retiring in 2000 at the rank of captain after 37 years of distinguished service. Throughout his long service, Dr. Kilpe was seeing patients as a practicing physician, actively engaged in infectious disease research, published important scientific papers, chaired numerous medical committees, and was a teacher at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Kilpe was an avid boater, and he loved to spend time with family on the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore. He was selflessly dedicated to family, following and supporting them in their wide-ranging pursuits. He loved to attend his grandchildren’s sporting events, or take them for an afternoon to the county fair. Surviving in addition to his wife are sons David Kilpe and wife Debbie of Columbia and Peter Kilpe and wife Jody Baller of Frederick; daughters Kristina Kilpe of Sykesville and Ingrid Huber and husband Kevin of West Friendship and grandchildren Siena Villeneuve and husband Scott, Peyton Huber, Sage Huber and Nikolas Huber. A graveside service will be held at 11am on Saturday, October 1, 2022, at Columbia Memorial Park, 12005 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD 21029. A luncheon following the service will be held at the Ten Oaks Ballroom, 5000 Signal Bell Ln, Clarksville, MD 21029. All are most welcome. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Latvian Lutheran Church of Washington D.C., 400 Hurley Avenue, Rockville, MD 20850. Online condolences may be offered at www.haightfuneralhome.com

Vilis Ervins Kilpe, M.D.

April 24, 1936 - September 17, 2022