Robert J. Rakozy (McCall ’54)
Posted: February 12, 2025
Robert was born December 12, 1932, in Detroit, MI, and graduated from University of Detroit High School.
As a young man, he achieved honors as the Michigan state champion for parachute jumping.
He joined the U.S. Air Force after high school and served in the Air Rescue Service during the Korean War.
After completing his service, he began college while also working as a USFS smokejumper. He jumped at McCall 1954-56.
Robert attended Boise Junior College, Idaho State University, and Kirksville College of Osteopathy Medicine and Surgery.
He married his wife, Nancy, in 1957, in Boise. They shared three sons, Robert II, Michael, and Christopher, and a daughter, Susan.
After graduating from medical school, he moved with his wife to Portland, OR, to set up his practice. He was the first osteopathic surgeon to complete residency at St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center in Oregon.
Robert loved to fly and was a licensed pilot. He also loved sailing.
He was serving as a vascular thoracic surgeon at the Good Shepherd Surgical Clinic in Hermiston, ID, when he passed away. He died on February 18, 1994, of complications from viral asthma. He was 61.
