Bolivia Peace Corps Staff Physician Bob LeBow dies in Idaho
Mourners say goodbye to LeBow
Doctor is rememberd for his spirit of activism and dedication
Joe Jaszewski / The Idaho Statesman
Ted LeBow and his mother, Gail LeBow, the son and wife of the late Bob LeBow, grieve at his coffin after a memorial service Sunday for the doctor, author and activist at the Relyea Funeral Chapel in Boise.
Mourners pack the Relyea Funeral Chapel on Sunday for a memorial service for Dr. Bob LeBow, who died Saturday.
Dr. Bob LeBow
Patrick Orr
The Idaho Statesman
So many friends and admirers showed up Sunday to mourn Dr. Bob LeBow that several had to stand outside in drizzling rain just to be near his funeral service.
More than 200 people jammed into every corner of Boise´s Relyea Funeral Chapel to honor LeBow, 63, a nationally renowned health-care activist for the poor. They hugged and cried silently during and after the service for LeBow, who died Saturday from complications related to a 2002 bicycle accident, which left him a quadriplegic.
“Bob was the antithesis of the doctor in the ivory tower,” said Rabbi Daniel B. Fink of Congregation Ahavath Beth-Israel, as he lauded LeBow´s life-long fight to provide medical services to those who could least afford them. “If it was a matter of right and wrong, he would have his voice heard.”
LeBow´s wife, Gail, and his son, Ted, sat in the front row, holding hands and alternately comforting each other. Ted LeBow had to fight back tears as he read a note his daughter, Jess, wrote to honor her grandfather.
“His mission was satisfied, as well as his duty,” Ted LeBow read from the note.
Mourners were silent and somber throughout much of the service. But Fink drew laughs when he pointed out that LeBow was so stubborn and true to his beliefs that he ran for the Legislature in 1994 as a liberal Democrat in Canyon County, one of Idaho´s most Republican territories.
By Jewish custom, a funeral is held as soon as possible. But the short notice didn´t stop a huge crowd from showing up, including many legislators and local politicians. The burial will be today at Morris Hill Cemetery.
LeBow first began working at Terry Reilly Health Services in Nampa in 1971 and also served a stint for the Peace Corps in his effort to bring health care to those least able to afford it.
Fink described LeBow as a man who had a thirst for knowledge and the rare ability to turn it into wisdom. Even after he was paralyzed, his dedication did not waver. On Aug. 12 he held a news conference in Philadelphia to advocate a national health-insurance program.
“Bob LeBow could forget more than most of us will ever know,” Fink said.
He noted that Jess LeBow once said her grandfather “had so much knowledge it could build a bridge to the moon.”
LeBow was paralyzed on July 25, 2002, when he was thrown from his bicycle while riding from his Boise home to work in Nampa.
The accident occurred shortly after his book, “Health Care Meltdown,” was released. In the book he criticized the American health-care system, which is built on the ability to pay. LeBow was an advocate for universal health care and national health insurance.
So many friends and admirers showed up Sunday to mourn Dr. Bob LeBow that several had to stand outside in drizzling rain just to be near his funeral service. More than 200 people jammed into every corner of Boise´s Relyea Funeral Chapel to honor LeBow, 63, a nationally renowned health-care activist for the poor. They hugged and cried silently during and after the service for LeBow, who died Saturday from complications related to a 2002 bicycle accident, which left him a quadriplegic.
To offer story ideas or comments, contact Patrick Orr
porr@idahostatesman.com or 373-6619
Edition Date: 12-01-2003
