Angela Walter, MD talks family ties in life and preventative medicine.

As a wife, mother, and family physician, Dr. Angela Walter knows the sustaining force of family ties. Whether it’s living the lake life with her husband and three sons or building trust with patients, she understands the value of keeping the course and overcoming waves.

“A family that skis together stays together.”

For Dr. Walter and her water skiing family of five, this motto has held true for more than 20 years across hundreds of lake-day memories, adventures, and events. In fact, it was water skiing that put her family story in motion, and it’s water skiing that keeps it going strong.

“My husband and I met on the water ski team at Ohio University,” Dr. Walter says. “It brought us together, and it’s been something we’ve loved doing together ever since.”

Even as their family grew over the years, Dr. Walter and her husband never wavered from their water skiing passion. “We have pictures of our boys standing with us on wakeboards before they could even ski on their own,” she laughs. “So they’ve basically been skiing since they could stand.”

Now, Dr. Walter and her family travel the state of Colorado competing in multiple USA Water Ski sanctioned tournaments each year and even hosting several events in their NoCo neck of the woods. “The tournaments are like big family reunions for us,” Dr. Walter smiles. “They’re made up of people like us that have skied together for decades, and now all of our kids get to ski together, too. We love that it’s such a family-centered sport that can span multiple generations.”

Family vibes and preventative patient care

When Dr. Walter isn’t on the water with her husband and boys, she brings her sense of determination and strong family focus to her medical practice at Associates in Family Medicine. “I was in first grade when I decided I was going to be a family doctor,” she says. “I loved my doctor growing up, so I decided I was going to do what he did. And since I’m stubborn, I never changed my mind.”

Not surprisingly, what Dr. Walter appreciates most about family medicine is caring for patients across families and over time. “At one point, I had four generations of patients under my care,” she says. “It’s truly a long-term partnership for me. I try to build personal relationships with my patients that develop trust. Then we’re able to be more successful together.”

From caring for kids from birth to graduation to helping patients ditch smoking and learn healthier lifestyle habits, Dr. Walter has experienced the power of prevention. “I love that family medicine is centered on creating individualized goals with patients and thinking about preventative care,” she says. “By journeying with them over the course of time, I feel like I can have such a bigger impact in helping them get to where they want to go.”

Finding her fit at AFM Windsor

Treating patients of all ages and stages from the new AFM Windsor office, Dr. Walter gets to provide the friendly, small-town kind of care she loves in a growing area of Northern Colorado. “The Windsor location helps us at AFM meet an expanding area of need and is such an asset to our community,” says Dr. Walter. “I’m excited to keep forging relationships with patients and providing the kind of family-centered care people need to live healthier lives.”