Hans-Rudolf "Rudy" Gahler

Hans-Rudolf Gahler, M.D., known as Rudy or Doc to his friends, passed away on Sept. 26, 2024, at the age of 96. He was born in Zürich, Switzerland, to Jakob and Alice Gahler. He came of age in this small, mountainous, and fiercely independent country surrounded by larger, aggressive European neighbors, during the Second World War. His childhood memories include exchanging yelled insults with German contemporaries across the Rhine river not far from his home.

Upon completing medical school at the University of Zürich, he decided to take his internship in Hartford, Connecticut. His two-year student visa allowed Rudy to spend a year of surgical residency in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he could experience hiking and hunting in the Rocky Mountains of the West. In the University of Utah Surgery Department, he met a young student, Dolores May Nelson, who was beguiled by the handsome young doctor with his expertise and love of mountains. She soon became his wife of 67 years.

Rudy and Dolores settled in and became a vital part of the small farming community of St. John, Washington, where he practiced family medicine for 30 years. As the only doctor in a large rural area, he made daily rounds at St. Ignatius Hospital in Colfax, delivering babies, assisting in surgery, and responding to almost daily after-hours and late-night emergencies, often to remote farms. On top of a busy medical practice and a growing family, he found time to indulge his need for a physically active life, including riding horses, climbing mountains, water and snow skiing, learning to fly an airplane, boating, and hunting. He fulfilled his childhood dream of being a cowboy, riding horses through the wheat fields surrounding St. John and exploring the Blue and Cascade Mountains.

Rudy occasionally wondered whether he should have gone into medical research, like his peers. However, rather than touching millions of people indirectly, he touched hundreds of people's lives directly, bringing many into this world and saving others from departing it too soon. He encouraged his patients to become more active and healthy. But some of his greatest attributes as a doctor and as a human being are that he was a good listener who spent time with his patients, related well to all kinds of people, and was sincerely interested in others.

Following his retirement from practice, Rudy and Dolores left their beloved small town of St. John for a new beloved small town of Anacortes, Washington. In between, they lived for a number of years in Seattle, from where Rudy worked occasionally as a locum tenens physician in places as remote as Utquiagvik, formally known as Barrow, Alaska, and served as the ship's doctor on several cruises.

Rudy and Dolores traveled literally around the world. They climbed several major mountains, including Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Mount St. Helens, and Kilimanjaro. They trekked through the Himalayas and Patagonia, rafted the Amazon, and rode elephants in India and camels in Morocco. Their goal was to take the trip of a lifetime once a year. The world map on their wall covered in pins attests to all the places they visited.

When at home, Rudy and Dolores were active in the community; they studied Spanish, and participated in the Sister City organization and Rotary. Rudy enjoyed metal- and woodworking. For many years, he rowed a couple of days a week with his rowing crew buddies. A major accomplishment was rowing from Anacortes to Vancouver Island, BC, an epic trip made more difficult by a late start which forced them to fight the tides. In 2009, Rudy won the gold for the 80-84 age group in the National Senior Games Association 10K. He is still listed in the top 10 for that age group. Rudy skied and ran well into his 90's, and walked almost daily until shortly before his death.

Rudy was active, adventurous, good-natured, well-read, and well-loved, with a quiet sense of humor. He is survived by his wife, Dolores; their three children, Ursula Iha (Steve), Heidi Bolong (Randy), and Marcus Gahler (Marie); six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Rudy's life is detailed in his memoir, "They Usually Don't Shoot Doctors", available November 3, 2024, on Amazon.

A celebration of life will be held at the Majestic Hotel in Anacortes on Nov. 3, 2024, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.