SEYMOUR
Dr. Kenneth E. Bobb, age 93 of Seymour passed away on October 21, 2021, at Schneck Medical Center.
He was born in Seymour, IN in 1928, to Florence Charlotte Thias Bobb and Jesse Harry Bobb. He lived at 830 S Walnut St. in Seymour until age seven, thereafter he lived at 615 S. Poplar St. in Seymour.
Grades one thru eight he attended Immanuel Lutheran School. He went grades nine to twelve at Shields High School, Seymour. His undergraduate studies were at the IU Bloomington Campus from 1946 to 1949 where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Anatomy and Human Physiology. He attended IU School of Medicine from 1949-1952 in Indianapolis and earned his MD in June 1952.
His General Rotating Internship was in Indianapolis General Hospital June 1952 to July 1953. He was in the US Air Force reserve inactive status from 1952-1953 and became Active Duty from 1953-1954 at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. From 1954 to 1955 his duty status was General Medical Officer at USAF General Hospital in Nagoya, Japan. He was discharged from active duty in August 1955 and remained in the USAF Reserve until 1960.
He began his general practice of medicine at 410 S. Chestnut St. in Seymour on August 5, 1955. He remained at that office until 1999. His practice was a full general practice of medicine with obstetrics and anesthesia. Approximately 20% of his practice time was devoted to general anesthesia. The estimated number of obstetrical deliveries was 2,000 over his practice tenure. The total number of anesthesia cases during the time of active practice was estimated to be in excess of 10,000. He practiced solo until 1984 when Dr. Dan Walters joined him as a partner. In 1999 he left the practice at 410 S. Chestnut where he had been for 44 years. He sold the building and his share of the practice to Dr. Walters in August 1999. Thereafter, he established a practice in Crothersville, IN., which was a revival of Dr. Butler’s former practice of many years. He practiced in Crothersville for 2 years.
In August 1994, he initiated the Hospice Program at the Jackson County Hospital and remained Director and Practitioner in that program until January 2010.
In 2002-2003, as part of a Steering Committee in Jackson County, he helped develop a Federally Qualified Community Health Center to serve the underinsured and underserved citizens of Jackson County. The health center started at offices on Jackson Park Drive and relocated to a remodeled space in the Community Agency Building on South Chestnut Street in Seymour. He served as Medical Director and Medical Provider from the last quarter of 2003 until his retirement in 2009.
He served as Medical Director for the Lutheran Community Home from the onset of the development of the home until January 2014. He resigned from active staff membership at Schneck Medical Center in January 2010. He was an Honorary Staff member thereafter.
He served as Jackson County Health Officer from 1999 to 2016.
He was active in Organized Medicine Societies all of his professional life. He was a Life Member of both The Indiana State and National Medical Society. He was also a life member of the State and National Academies of Family Medicine which he had become a member in 1956.
He was a Board Certified Family Physician from 1974 to 1999. He elected not to take any more Board Qualifying exams in 1999 as he planned to retire from active practice at 71 years of age. He has remained a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
He rotated through the chairs of the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians and was elected President in 1976. He served as Delegate to the National Academy of Family Physicians from 1977-1983. He served as Chair of the Mental Health Committee, as member of the professional Liability Committee, and as member of the Finance Committee during his tenure as Delegate to the National Convention of AAFP.
His Civic Activities included: Membership at Immanuel Lutheran Church since 1942, Member of Seymour Lions Club 1955-1970, Member of the Elks Club of Seymour 1960-1999, Honorary member of Boys and Girls Club in Seymour since 1999, he was the principal fund solicitor for the $250,000 raised to build the new Boys and Girls Club Gymnasium, which was named the Ian S Templeton Gymnasium, in honor of General Surgeon Dr. Ian S. Templeton who practiced in Seymour until his retirement and death in 1997. Dr. Templeton was a long-time member of the Board of Directors of the club. Dr. Bobb served on the Indiana State Board of Health as an advisory board member and was Chairman of the Financial Campaign for $1.8 million in 1994 for Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seymour.
His Honors include Family Physician of the year; awarded by Indiana Academy of Family Medicine, Sagamore of the Wabash; appointed by Gov. Ed Whitcomb during his term as Governor of Indiana, Citizen of the Year from Seymour Chamber of Commerce, Outstanding Citizen Award from Sertoma, Honorary Membership to Sertoma, Wall of Fame from Seymour High School Renaissance committee,
J.M. Black, M.D. lifetime achievement award from Boys and Girls Club, Lester D. Bibler, M.D., award from the Indiana Academy of Family Physicians. His IU affiliations include being a member of the J.O. Ritchey Society, The IU School of Medicine Dean’s Council, the Arbutus Society, IU Alumni Association and he also endowed the Kenneth E. Bobb scholarship at the IU School of Medicine.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Barbara J. Soultz Bobb McIntosh, Tim Willman (son of Nelline Bobb, his second wife), his brother, Harlan Jesse Bobb, sister-in-law Joan Rodgers Bobb, and his grandson in law Oren Dorell.
He is survived by his children; Michael L. (Pamela) Bobb, Deborah A. (Paul) Schleter, Steve J. (Teresa) Bobb, his grandchildren; Jesse Bobb, Clinton (Kelly) Bobb, Virginia Knapp Dorell, Sarah Knapp, and Rachel (Page) Drum, his great grandchildren; Madison Bobb, Collin Bobb, Elaine Ellis, Amara Ellis, Malcolm Dorell, and Leo Dorell.
He was married to Barbara Jean Soultz 1952-1965, he was married to Nelline Clancy Willman from 1967-1995, and Juanita Carol Simmons James from May 27, 2000, to present.
He is also survived by his children by marriage to Nelline including Rodney (Margie) Willman, their daughter Chris Willman and Deborah (Greg) Comstock and their son Matthew Findley; the children by marriage to Carol include Julie (Roger) Hapka and their children Thomas, Eric, and Holly, and a daughter, Janet Gessling and her daughter Katharine Blair Gessling.
His hobbies included quail hunting and trap shooting.
He was known for many sayings such as, “Work hard and the rewards will be there”, “This too shall pass”, and “Live each day as if you are going to live a long time, but plan to die tomorrow”. These weren’t original sayings, but the last was imparted to him by his friend Everett Hap Moritz.
His earliest fond memory was of his mother, Florence, with him on her lap, reading a comic strip in the early thirties called “Peter Wiggly”. Also, riding with his dad in a horse drawn wagon when he was delivering milk to customers at 3 AM. He also remembered working at Snyder’s Dairy in grade school and high school where he learned the value of hard work. He spent summer vacations as a youth at his grandparents’ farm where he learned more of the value of hard work but also to enjoy the work. As he grew in stature and weight he was often used as a substitute for the hired hands without pay. He was happy to get to do the “grown up” kind of work often driving horses and mules, plowing, mowing hay, and threshing wheat. His grandpa often said that he worked “just like a man” and that put wind in his sail.
Friends may call at Voss Chapel on Tuesday October 26, 2021, from 3-8 pm and on Wednesday October 27, 2021 from 9 am until the time of service at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Services will be held on Wednesday October 27, 2021, at 11 am at Immanuel Lutheran Church. Burial will follow at Riverview Cemetery.
For those wishing to pay their final respects the family will take the following route from Immanuel Lutheran Church to Riverview Cemetery and encourages the public to shower Dr. Bobb with love on his final journey.
From Immanuel Lutheran Church:
1. North on Walnut St.
2. Turning east on Brown St.
3. Turning north on Chestnut St.
4. Turning east on 4th St.
5. Turning north on Ewing St.
6. Riverview Cemetery
Memorials may be given to Immanuel Lutheran Church, Schneck Medical Center Foundation Cancer Center, Schneck Hospice, Lutheran Community Home, or Boys and Girls Club.