Dr. Robert Daniel Rakov passed away on January 17, 2019 surrounded by his wife and children. Bob was a beloved husband, father, son, brother and uncle to a family who were in awe of his humor, compassion and intellect. He was born in Goshen, New York to Dr. Robert Willis Rakov and Beatrice Emily Rakov.
Following his high school graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was an Air Traffic Controller for 4 years before entering Cornell University. Upon receiving his medical degree from SUNY, Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y. (where both his father and grandfather had also received their medical degrees), he served in the Air Force as a Fight Surgeon in the U.S., Korea and Japan, and left with the rank of Major.
In 1996, he married the love of his life, Theresa Lynch. He completed a fellowship in Rural Medicine and Obstetrics at Tacoma Family Medicine. He then settled in Snyder, Texas where he lived his dream, practicing Family Medicine for 20 years in the towns of Snyder and Lamesa.
In 2017, Bob was offered the position of Director of Peer Review and Assistant Clinical Professor at Texas A & M University, and he and his family started an exciting new chapter by relocating to College Station.
Bob enjoyed traveling with his family in their RV, going on cruises, attending baseball games with his son and proudly watching his talented daughter perform in musical and theatrical performances. He was a computer guru and was the personal “IT Guy” for friends and co-workers. Instinctively mechanical, he could fix anything. But above all, his greatest joy in life was the time he spent with his family.
He is survived by his wife Theresa, his son, Alek and daughter, Emily, as well as his father, Dr. Robert Rakov, and sisters, Kathy Van Patten and Lisa St. John.
There will be a celebration of his life on Saturday, January 26, 2019 at 3:00 pm at Memorial Funeral Chapel in College Station with visitation at 2:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to WoundedWarriorProject.org or Health For All at www.hlth4all.org.
