Dr. H. Robert Birschbach

Bob was born on June 12, 1937 in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin to Clara Birschbach and Robert Birschbach. He grew up on a fifty-acre Crop-and-Livestock Farm, where he adopted a deep reverence for life and an unparalleled work ethic.

Bob attended Marquette University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy and Chemistry. He received a Doctorate of Medicine from The Medical College of Wisconsin. Following his internship at St. Francis Hospital in Peoria, Illinois, he served as a general practice physician in the U.S. Navy. He completed his Internal Medicine, Gastroenterology and Hepatology training at George Washington University and the Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Boston and Washington, DC.

Bob was a private practitioner and staff physician at Suburban and Shady Grove Hospitals for thirty years, and at Asbury Methodist Village for forty years. He met his wife, Mira McLeod, MD, PhD, at Suburban Hospital, where she was a resident. They reconnected and ultimately married many years later.

His final twenty years of practice were at Asbury Methodist Village, where he attended to patients in the Wilson Health Care Center as well as the Outpatient Clinic. He was deeply committed to caring for his patients, his colleagues and his co-workers, and cultivated close relationships with them. He often brought flowers from his garden to his patients who didn’t have families or visitors. He attended the funerals of nearly every one of his patients when they died. Although Bob often joked he would have to retire soon because he was older than so many of his patients, he had no serious plans to retire. Ultimately, he retired at 81 years of age to care for his beloved wife, Mira, when she became ill.

Beyond his professional life, Bob was an avid gardener. He had an infectious laugh and the best sense of humor. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and friends; he loved reading and classical music. He was a devout Catholic who actively participated at his church, St. Raphael, where he volunteered as well as attending weekly mass and meetings of the Men’s Fellowship.

Since moving into The Village at Rockville six years ago, Bob has been an active community member, forging deep and lasting friendships. His activities have included arranging dinner groups, gardening at the Assisted Living Center, participating on the Travel Committee, and attending as many organized activities as possible.

Bob’s legacy of love lives on through his surviving family: children Jane Birschbach (Arthur Cantor), Ann Brehm (Stephen), Frederick “Fred” Birschbach, Mary Hokanson (Chris), Alexandra “Sasha” Birschbach (Steven Olson); grandchildren Madelyn, Zoey, Christopher, Robert, Brian, Alyson; great-grandchildren Evan, Mia, Harper and Sunny; sister Lucille Birschbach, as well as a community of friends who became family. He joins in peace his parents Clara and Robert Birschbach, his brother Peter, two newborn daughters, his grandson Max, and his wife Mira Birschbach, MD PhD.

Services and Tributes:

* Viewing Thursday, October 22, 2026, 6-8 pm, DeVol Funeral Home, 10 Deer Park Drive, Gaithersburg

* Funeral service Saturday, October 24, 2026, 1 pm, St. Raphael’s Catholic Church, 1513 Dunster Road, Rockville

* Celebration of Life Saturday, October 24, 2026, 3:30-5:30 pm, Enrichment Center in Glenmere, The Village at Rockville, 9803 Veirs Drive, Rockville

In lieu of flowers, the Birschbach family would welcome contributions to be made to Suburban Hospital Foundation https://secure.jhu.edu/form/suburbanhospital