PENDLETON
Robert William Begley, M.D., a long-time resident and pillar of the town of Pendleton, Indiana, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 27, 2020, surrounded by members of his loving family.
He was born into humble circumstances in Indianapolis on July 11, 1936. As a child, he delivered newspapers to afford favorite activities, such as trolley rides downtown and the State Fair. Bob worked for the family plumbing business while attending Broad Ripple High School, where he enjoyed playing on the varsity basketball team – once against Oscar Robertson. He graduated from Indiana University with a degree in mathematics while serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve and attended the IU School of Medicine from 1958-1962. He supported his young family by working his way through school in the chemistry lab of Pitman-Moore Pharmaceuticals, where he felt privileged to work alongside brilliant immunologists as they developed a Polio vaccine.
He completed his internship in South Bend, Indiana, in 1963, then settled his family in Pendleton, where he began building his thriving practice, specializing in family medicine. Generations of families received high quality, personal care throughout his distinguished career, which spanned nearly four decades. Since retirement, he has treasured every opportunity to catch up with patients around the community.
A generous man of wide-ranging interests, Doc loved carpentry, cooking, weekly poker games, and golf. He traveled the world, dabbled in art, and played guitar in a bluegrass band called The Medicine Show; “Rocky Top” and “Will the Circle be Unbroken” were favorite performance pieces.
Dr. Begley was preceded in death by his wife, Linda; his brother and best friend Richard (Shirley) Begley; and his parents, William and Mary Begley.
He is survived by a sister, Barbara (John) Furst, of Elizabethton, TN; sons Jeffrey (Arieta) Begley, Los Angeles; Brian (Brenda) Begley, Highland, MI; Ben (Chris) Begley, Carbondale, IL; daughters Diane Begley, Lafayette, IN; Kerri Begley, Pendleton, IN; Bev Begley, Indianapolis, IN; and Devon (Jeremy) Davies, Brooklyn, NY; 11 beloved grandchildren; 2 precious great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and his honorary family, comprised of the friends and office staff who brought him so much joy.
A celebration to honor his life will be held in the summer of 2021. Instead of flowers, please contribute to the charitable organization of your choosing. Suggested organizations include Thrival Indy Academy (https://thrivalindy.org/make-a-donation) and the IU School of Medicine (https://medicine.iu.edu/give).
You may post online condolences at www.wilsonstpierre.com.
