Harvey Tretbar, M.D.

Harvey A Tretbar, M.D. Retired physician Harvey A. Tretbar, M.D. died at home on February 12, 2016. He was 90. Dr. Tretbar was born and raised in Stafford, Kansas, the fifth of five children of Dr. F.W. Tretbar and Elsa Tretbar. Following his graduation from Stafford High School in 1943, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, eventually serving as the communications officer aboard the USS Harrier, a minesweeper launched at Portland, Oregon in 1944 and commissioned the following year. He attained the rank of Lieutenant JG by the time of his discharge in 1946. Dr. Tretbar completed his undergraduate studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He then enrolled at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, where he earned his doctor of medicine degree in 1952. It was shortly before graduation that he met an attractive nursing student at KU who was nearing the completion of her own studies, Julie Robinson, known to classmates as “the General.” Dr. Tretbar was smitten, and a first date at Jimmys Jigger (an establishment near campus frequented by KU Med students to this day) led to courtship, love and marriage. Their affection for and dedication to each other was as strong on the day Dr. Tretbar died as it was on the day he and Julie were married 63 years earlier. Following a year of internship in Kansas City, Dr. Tretbar entered the residency program in Internal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He was asked to serve as Chief Resident during his third year, a considerable honor. He stayed on at Cleveland Clinic for an additional year following his residency to complete a fellowship in the then-nascent study of Endocrinology. Dr. Tretbar and his by-then growing family then moved to Wichita, where Dr. Tretbar joined a medical practice with Ernest W. Crow, M.D. This was to become the second-most important relationship of his life. The two recognized that they complimented each other medically and became close personal friends. By the time of their retirement, the practice they started had grown to include approximately 20 physicians engaged in most of the sub-specialties of internal medicine. Near the end of their careers, these two modest men to reluctantly agreed that the group could be renamed Crow-Tretbar Medical Associates, a name selected because off the esteem in which Dr. Crow, Dr. Tretbar and their colleagues were held by physicians throughout South Central and Western Kansas. Dr. Tretbar was associated with Wesley Hospital throughout his career and served it in a variety of capacities, including President of Medical Staff. He was active in medical education throughout his career, and this continued after his retirement. He was an Associate Clinical Professor at KU School of Medicine-Wichita. He was board-certified in Internal Medicine and in his chosen subspecialty, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. He was a recipient of the Laureate Award, awarded by the American College of PhysiciansKansas Chapter, as well as the Mahlon H. Delp Award for Excellence in Clinical Medicine. Of all of the honors he received, he took the greatest pride in the dozens of requests he received from physicians to care for their loved ones. A key element in Dr. Tretbars approach to medical practice was his willingness to devote the time necessary to understand his patients as human beings who lived complex lives not all that different from his own. He possessed true and genuine empathy for his patients, and was humble enough to be truthful in describing what medicine could and could not offer to address the problems his patients faced. This inspired tremendous trust and loyalty on the part of thousands of people he met in practicing his profession. He understood that to practice medicine is both a privilege and a responsibility. Dr. Tretbar was equally empathetic and supportive in his family life. He was a proud and supportive husband, father and grandfather who loved to laugh and joke around. His social requirements were modest. He found time in the 60-plus hour workweeks that characterized his career to attend the hundreds of sporting events, plays and other activities in which his children engaged, and enjoyed having a good meal and a few laughs with friends or family as much as anything. As is true of so many of his generation, he reveled in the successes of others, deflected personal praise, and was an invaluable source of calm support and encouragement in tough times. Dr. Tretbar was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. F.W. and Elsa Tretbar, a sister, Mildred T. Brown, brothers Frederic Tretbar, Everett Tretbar and Richard C. Tretbar, and his sons, Harvey A. Tretbar, Jr. and James L. Tretbar. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Julia Tretbar of the home; daughter Margaret Tretbar of Kansas City; sons John P. Tretbar (Nancy Goode) of St. Joseph, Missouri and William P. Tretbar of Wichita; granddaughters Perry Tretbar and Bea Tretbar of Kansas City and grandsons Alex Tretbar of Portland, Oregon and Jack Tretbar of New York, as well as many beloved and devoted nieces and nephews. A memorial service for Dr. Tretbar will be held on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at University Congregational Church at 9209 East 29th Street N. in Wichita beginning at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to honor Dr. Tretbar with Central Plains Health Care Partnership-Project Access, at 1102 South Hillside, Wichita, Kansas 67211 or at www.cphcp.com. Downing & Lahey Mortuary East.