Peter Mayer Loeb

Peter Mayer Loeb passed away on February 28, 2025, at the age of 85 at his home in Dallas, Texas with his family by his side. He was born on August 11, 1939, in Sweetwater, Texas, to Daisy Loeb and Sam Loeb. A beloved physician and an esteemed member of the medical community, he was known universally as a good man – an honest, fair, principled, no-nonsense West Texan. Above all, Peter Loeb was a loving husband, father, and grandfather.

After graduating as salutatorian from Sweetwater High School in 1957, he pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts in Plan II. He earned his medical degree with honors (AOA) from the UT Southwestern Medical School at Dallas in 1965, followed by an internship at Yale-New Haven Hospital and then a residency at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. During the Vietnam War, he was selected as a Clinical Associate at the prestigious National Institutes of Health where he was a commissioned officer (1967-69). After that, he accepted a fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. From 1971-74 he served as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the UC San Diego, after which he returned to Dallas, Texas for an appointment as Clinical Professor of Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical School.

Dr. Loeb’s outstanding medical career spanned over five decades until his retirement in 2017 including Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and multiple positions at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas –Director of the Gastroenterology Laboratory, Director of the Therapeutic Endoscopy Training Program, and Chief of the Department of Gastroenterology. He was a founding member of the Dallas Endoscopy Center and authored or co-authored over 45 published medical articles and textbook chapters. From 2001 until his retirement, he was regularly listed as one of D Magazine’s Best doctors.

His dedication to medical education was evident through his numerous teaching awards, including the Gastroenterology Teaching Award from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1986, 1988, and 1998, and the Internal Medicine Teaching Award from Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas in 1988. He was also an active member of several professional organizations including the American Gastroenterology Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Fellow of the American College of Physicians, American Association for Study of Liver Diseases, Dallas County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, American Medical Association, and the Texas Society for Gastroenterology and Endoscopy. He served as Gastroenterology Editor for the Dallas County Medical Journal from 1985 to 1992. Dr. Loeb also held leadership roles at Parkland Hospital, including serving on the Medical Advisory Board (1984-1988) and as President of the Attending Staff (1987-1988).

Nobody was more important in his life than his beloved and inseparable wife of 60 years Gail Barzune Loeb who survives him as do their four children Benjamin Loeb (Quyen Nguyen), Lisa Loeb (Roey Hershkovitz), Debbie Loeb (Neil Keon), and Philip Loeb (Jodi Loeb), and ten grandchildren: Theodore Loeb, Maple Loeb, Anna Sofia Nguyen Loeb, Sam Keon, Audrey “Lulu” Nguyen Loeb, Lyla Hershkovitz, Taco Loeb, Emet Hershkovitz, Rosie Keon, and Asa Loeb. He was preceded in death by his parents Daisy and Sam Loeb, his sister Jane Loeb, and his brother Robert Loeb.

As a father, Peter passed along his values of integrity, education, social justice and equity, music and the arts, teaching and helping people. He played piano every night before bed from his big music book of standards, and he loved listening to and sharing songs. Peter balanced his committed work ethic with a deep love of his hobbies and interests, namely golf with friends, traveling and spending time with his family around the country, reading books and watching movies. He particularly relished being drawn into discussions (arguments) about politics, even at the dining room table, and was known to be able to take every side. While he usually balanced his passion for Socratic argument with his dry sense of humor, Peter's overt kindness inevitably won everyone over.

He dedicated so much of his love, time, and attention to his grandkids – watching the Texas teams play football, baseball, basketball, playing math and memory games on his computer, and completing huge jigsaw puzzles. As he was with his own kids, Peter was so proud of his grandkids' accomplishments; he didn’t miss a piano or dance recital, sports game, or any activity where he could enjoy and support them. He especially loved sharing his personal interests of golf and music with his grandkids. Peter's favorite time of year was the annual family vacation he and Gail enjoyed in San Diego when they and all their kids and grandkids from around the country would spend time together.

Peter’s professional and academic achievements were many, but what mattered most was his relationship with his patients and students. Not only did he care for his patients, he cared about them. Not one to boast about his medical accomplishments, there are hundreds of stories people tell of how Peter saved their lives through his medical acumen and hard work. Among his friends and family, he was the one to call when you had any medical problem.

Dr. Peter M. Loeb’s legacy is one of excellence, compassion, and dedication – as a doctor, as a friend, and as a father. His contributions to gastroenterology, his commitment to medical education, and his compassionate patient care have left an enduring impact on the medical community, the lives of those he served, and his family and friends. His quick wit and intelligence on the golf course and at the dinner table will not be forgotten by any partner or opponent. His loyalty, wisdom, compassion and generosity live on in everyone he touched.

Peter Loeb will be interred at Sparkman-Hillcrest on Tuesday, March 4 at 2PM followed by a Memorial service at Temple Emanu-El Stern Chapel, 8500 Hillcrest Rd, Dallas, TX, 75225 at 3PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or a charity of your choice.