Robert Lawrence Scheer January 18, 1927 – March 15, 2019 Send Flowers Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card Robert Lawrence Scheer, MD Robert Scheer passed away on March 15th, 2019 at his home in Tully, NY, surrounded by family and friends. He was 92 years old. Robert, known universally as Bob, was born in the Bronx on January 18, 1927 to Alexander and Henrietta Scheer.
He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and Bethany College. He entered the U.S. Army in 1945 and served in Germany, France and North Africa as a medical technician. While in the army, he worked with a doctor who took an interest in young Bob, shaping his choice of career.
After his discharge from the army, Bob worked for a few summers as a waterfront counselor at a boys’ camp in the Catskills. His opposite number at the girls’ camp across the lake was a young woman named Lynne Ross. They met and started dating.
Bob enrolled at Hahneman Medical College in Philadelphia and a commuting relationship began, with Lynne working in Boston. During this time Lynne introduced Bob to the opera which became a shared lifelong passion. They were married on June 15, 1952.
While Bob was a medical resident in Philadelphia, he and Lynne welcomed their first child, David. The couple moved to Syracuse where their three other children, Lisa, Anthony and William, were born. Bob entered private medical practice in Syracuse, specializing in nephrology.
He was instrumental in introducing kidney dialysis and transplantation in Central New York. His devotion to his work extended beyond long hours at the office and in the hospital. As a member of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, he travelled to Mississippi where he provided medical care for civil rights demonstrators.
Evenings after work were often spent reading medical journals. He also served as the editor of the Onondaga County Medical Society Journal. As a clinical instructor at SUNY Upstate Medical Center (now SUNY Upstate Medical University), he helped train generations of medical students, many of whom are now doctors practicing in the Syracuse area.
Bob was the founder and Medical Director of the first dialysis unit in Central New York, at St. Joseph’s Hospital. His practice grew to include several nephrologists and serve hundreds of patients yearly from around the region. After retiring from active practice he continued to serve patients as the administrator of the dialysis unit.
He and Lynne enjoyed an active social life with a lively circle of friends whose children often became close friends with the Scheer children. Bob introduced his family to the outdoor activities he loved: camping, hiking, canoeing and especially skiing. In 1966, he and Lynne purchased a piece of property on Skaneateles Lake and built a house there a few years later.
The lake house (or “camp” as they preferred to call it) became the scene of family get-togethers, rowdy parties and all-around summer fun, in spite of some people’s opinion that the water was “cold”. In later years Bob volunteered for many organizations including the Syracuse Opera as a member of the board, and the Newland Center for Adult Learning and Literacy, teaching evening GED classes. He made many trips with his children and grandchildren, attending operas in Austria and Italy and exploring jungles in Costa Rica and Peru.
Bob is survived by his children, David (Brenda), Lisa (Hugh), Tony (Julie) and Bill (Brenda), and eight grandchildren. The family would like to express their profound gratitude to those who cared for Bob in his later years, especially Maryrose Kott, Sonja Lockwood, Amy Stone, and other wonderful caregivers. A memorial service for Bob will be held at Baltimore Woods Nature Center on June 29, 2019 at 12:30 pm.
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