Capt. Donald Robert Buechel, M.D. (USN, ret.)

Capt. Donald Robert Buechel, M.D. (USN, ret.)

“Bob” Buechel was born to Donald William and Bonnie Priddy Buechel on Sept. 29, 1924, in Wichita, Kan. He is predeceased by his parents and younger brother, William Benjamin Buechel. He is survived by his loving wife of 69 years, Joan, and four children, three grandchildren and two nieces.

While growing up, Bob spent many summers working with an aunt and uncle on the family farm in Kansas, which led to his lifelong interest in farming and gardening and an ability to fix almost anything. He graduated high school in Wichita at 16 and matriculated at the University of Kansas in 1941. His studies were interrupted when he enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and was called to active duty for seven months in 1943. He returned to university and earned his bachelor’s degree in zoology. He began medical school at KU in 1944. He was discharged from the Navy at the end of World War II and continued working on his M.D. with the benefit of the GI Bill. He joined the Navy Reserve and completed his M.D. in 1949.

Following medical school, Bob returned to active duty in the Navy and did his internship at the Naval Medical Center in Charleston, S.C., after which he was assigned to a year of sea duty on the icebreaker Atka, mainly in Japan, Hawaii and Boston (and never “broke ice”). He began his residency in anesthesiology at National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., in 1951. At this time, anesthesia had only been a certified specialty for 10 years. While at Bethesda, he was introduced to Joan Bissett by friends, and they were married in Washington, D.C., in 1952.

Bob served in the U.S. Navy for 32 years, including a tour in Vietnam during that conflicted as Deputy MACV Surgeon at the Joint Command Headquarters, earning commendation with the Legion of Merit. Bob retired in 1975 with the rank of captain. During his Navy career, he was chair of anesthesia at the Chelsea, Oakland and San Diego naval hospitals. He retired from the Navy following his last tour of duty as commanding officer of the naval hospital at Roosevelt Roads, P.R.

He came to Stanford as a clinical professor of anesthesiology in 1975, with practice at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, where he trained many in anesthesiology. He brought his unique approach to resident education, combining didactic and clinical instruction. While at Stanford, Bob served on the Faculty Senate. His influence continued as a full-time Stanford faculty member until he formally left teaching in 2003, having become emeritus professor in 1991, continuing as part-time faculty at SCVMC until 1997 and further as volunteer faculty in the Stanford operating rooms until 2003. He retired from Stanford in 2003 as professor emeritus. Following this, he continued to attend grand rounds in the Anesthesiology Department at Stanford for many years.

Bob is remembered fondly and with deep respect by many of those he mentored and educated in anesthesiology, as represented by one of his former residents in practice in San Jose who shared her thoughts at the time of Bob’s passing – “He shared his passion and joy of anesthesiology. He was a physician, a gentleman, a patient advocate and exemplified the very best in the practice of anesthesiology.”

Bob was always welcoming and friendly, regardless of a person’s station in life. May we all strive to follow his shining example of putting one’s faith into action. He was a member of Post 99 in Campbell, Calif.