Robert Edward Rush

Bob Rush, 80, died Saturday December 10 at the Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello from head injuries associated with a fall down a set of stairs at his home in Lava Hot Springs the week previous. His earthly exit date was ushered in by a full eclipse of the moon and his final moments were spent with his wife of 37 years, Evelee.

Bob was well known in the Pocatello and Lava Hot Springs communities as a gregarious, genuine, and caring man whose hearty laugh was infective. In his final years, he enjoyed teaching obstetrics at the Idaho State University Residency Program, photography trips with friends, and scootering around Lava Hot Springs. But by far, his biggest pleasure was in just being around the people he loved. He was never slack on an incisive debate and never short on praise for others.

Bob graduated from Pocatello High School in 1949, graduated from Walla Walla College in 1954, and finished medical school at Loma Linda University in 1958. He completed his residency at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City and started practicing medicine in Pocatello in 1963. Bob was an active member of Rotary for many years and donated his time and energy to building schools in Burkina Faso, Africa.

Bob was among a rare breed of physicians who treated the person, not the condition. Over his 37-year career as an obstetrician in Pocatello (with a short stint in Palm Desert), he delivered hundreds of babies. In Bob's final week in the hospital, it was not uncommon to hear hospital staff speak kindly of the children in their lives Bob had ushered in (including themselves). He made a mark on the Pocatello community… a mark that will be missed by all who knew him.

Bob's absence will be felt most by his wife Evelee Hill Rush (Lava Hot Springs), his children Doug Rush (Salt Lake City), Trent Hill and wife Margo (Boise), Jenifer Rush (Ketchum), Marcy Pearhill and husband Scott (Pocatello), Bob's sister Judy Constantino and her husband Mike (Pocatello), and Bob's aunt Melba Chambers (Pocatello). Bob had a special fondness for his grandchildren Kersey, Hannah, Morgan, Gabe, Robert, and Savanna (three of whom he delivered). He was the glue that pulled the family together.

Funeral service information is posted under the "Service Schedule" tab.