Robert O. Crapo
Robert Olsen Crapo, M.D. died early on 26 December 2015 of the effects of Alzheimer's disease. He was born 28 August 1941, the second of six children born to George Lavelle and Melba Olsen Crapo.
He graduated from Idaho Falls High School, Brigham Young University and the University of Rochester Medical School.
In 1964 he married Margaret Sawaya and they had two children, Janna Leigh and Matthew Sawaya. They later divorced, but remained friends throughout his life.
In 1995 he married Susan Henderson, and became step-father to Spencer and Elizabeth.
Bob was a great story-teller and among the memories he cherished were of his childhood in Idaho Falls, biking with his brother Terry, working on the large family garden and the Crapo family potato farm, swimming in the river or canal, plucking chickens to feed the harvesting crew at his grandparent's farm in Kimberly, playing football for the new coach, who recruited all the high school boys by promising them "fun" a year after the season that saw most of the team quit for being berated by the previous coach, and studying for the English teacher (whom he rewarded with a 50 pound sack of Idaho potatoes) who encouraged him.
Following service in the US Navy during the Viet Nam War, he began a long association with LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT. He completed an internship at LDS Hospital, then completed his residency and fellowship in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine before accepting academic appointments at LDS Hospital and the University of Utah Division of Pulmonary Medicine. His academic career was distinguished by his work in standardizing pulmonary function testing. Along with colleagues Alan Morris, Richard Kanner, and Reed Gardner, he co-authored a book on pulmonary function testing, widely known as "the orange manual". He was chairman of the Pulmonary Function Testing Committee of the American Thoracic Society and was an integral part of an international collaboration with the European Respiratory Society. A few of the honors he received during his career include the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American College of Chest Physicians, the Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Thoracic Society, and the Legacy of Life Scientific Award from the Deseret Foundation's Heart-Lung Research Institute.
Bob enjoyed hiking, golfing, tennis, and was an avid fly fisherman. He tied his own flies and cast them along the Provo and Green Rivers as well as at his family cabin in Idaho.
Bob is preceded in death by his parents and his older brother Terry Lavelle. He is survived by his wife Susan; children, Janna Belko (Frank), Matthew (Sandy Summer), Spencer and Elizabeth; siblings James (Kathy), Phyllis Olefsky (Jerry), Christine Hatch (Mark) and Michael (Susan); and four grandchildren, Nickolas, Dylan, Brendan and Sierra Belko.
At Bob's request, there will be no funeral service. A celebration of Bob's life will be held Saturday, January 2, 2016 from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East in Salt Lake City. Please use the complimentary valet parking available on the north side of the building.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Alzheimer's Association or Neighborhood House of Salt Lake City.