Dr. Robert A. Irvin

Long time Lake County resident, Dr. Robert “Bob” A. Irvin died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family on February 10, 2016. If you grew up in Lake County between 1950- 2000, you probably remember going to Dr. Irvin’s office and hearing his corny jokes. Maybe you got your polio vaccine at one of the Sunday clinics he organized. Maybe he came to your home on a house call in the middle of the night. Perhaps he saved your life or that of your child. If you were a friend of Bob’s, you know about his ability to laugh at himself, his passion for social justice, his awful puns, his love of shrimp and Julie Andrews, his loyalty to the College of Wooster, and his interest in watching any football or basketball game that was on TV. If you were a medical colleague, you respected his knowledge, his work ethic, his knack of knowing when a child was seriously ill and taking action, and you honored him as the Lake Hospital Physician of the Year in 1983. If you attended Painesville Methodist Church or Mentor United Methodist Church, you enjoyed hearing his baritone voice in the choir and knew of his involvement with Camphor Mission. If you were a member of the YMCA, you saw him running around the track at the Central Branch in his red shorts, long before jogging became popular, or serving on the Central and Metro Y Boards, or maybe you benefitted from a scholarship created by his family in his honor. If you knew Bob in the community, he was volunteering for the Free Clinic, the Painesville City Schools as a member and president of the School Board, the Fair Housing Board, the NAACP, Family Planning Association of Northeast Ohio, Leadership Lake County, or singing or dancing in the Red Stocking Review to raise funds for the Western Reserve Junior Service League’s charitable projects. If you were a member of his family, you learned honesty, integrity, to treat everyone equally, and to protect your food from Polar Bears. You were treated to tales about his childhood, being read to at bedtime, eating moo-burgers, popcorn and runny Jello, his good advice, and his caring about people, particularly children and anyone he knew who was in a nursing home. If you didn’t have the fortune to know Dr. Bob Irvin, he was born in Orrville, Ohio on March 11, 1922 to Dr. George and Anna Irvin, the youngest of six children. Bob graduated from Orrville High School in 1938, from the College of Wooster in 1943, and the Western Reserve School of Medicine in 1946 with his M.D. He enlisted in the army in 1943 and served as an army doc until 1949. In 1951 Dr. Irvin moved to Painesville to open a pediatric practice -- the first Board Certified pediatrician in the county. He practiced for 47 years, retiring in 1998 and then mentored medical students in the practice and helped initiate the pediatric services of the Free Clinic. In August of 1944 Bob married his college sweetheart, Margo (Drury) Irvin and they were married 39 years until her death. They had four children who survive both of them: Richard (Ruth) Irvin, Ruth (Richard) Stenberg, John (Rhonda) Irvin, and Kathleen Irvin. Bob married Connie (Pelton) Irvin in 1984. They have a daughter, Elizabeth Irvin. He and Connie travelled the world, riding bikes in Vermont, rafting the Colorado River and accompanying Elizabeth to Europe as she played in the Cleveland Wind Symphony. In addition to his wife and five children, Bob is also survived by his grandchildren: Matthew (Kristy) Stenberg, Benjamin (Shannon) Stenberg, Lindsay Stenberg, Andrea (Jason) Spencer, Erica Irvin (Chris Henry), Margo Irvin, and Nicholas Irvin, four great grandchildren: Kathleen Stenberg, Garrick Robert Stenberg, William Stenberg, and Lily Stenberg, several nieces and nephews, and many friends of all ages. The family would like to thank The Hospice of Western Reserve and its staff for assisting them in the final weeks of his life. They would also thank Patty Mudry of Comfort Keepers for her loving care and companionship during his final three years. Calling hours and a reception will be held 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, February 20 at Mentor United Methodist Church, 8600 Mentor Ave., Mentor, OH, in the Gallery followed by a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at 4:00 p.m. A private burial service will take place at a later time. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mentor United Methodist Church, Lake County Free Medical Clinic, or the Lake County YMCA Bob Irvin Scholarship. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home and Cremation Center. Offer condolences at www.brunners.com.

Dr. Robert A. Irvin

March 11, 1922 - February 10, 2016