1951 ~ 2003

Richard Hosier Beers, M.D., died unexpectedly on June 22, 2003, in Elko, Nevada, while traveling to the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho for a family reunion and vacation. He collapsed as he was stretching in preparation for his daily run. His daughter, and fellow runner, Jenna, was with him at the time.

Richard was born on May 8, 1951, in New York City, NY, to Max Irvin Beers and Ellen Marie Hosier Beers. His early years were spent in Great Neck and Huntington, NY. In 1960 he moved with his family to Phoenix, AZ, where he finished elementary school and attended Camelback High School. In 1968 he moved to Salt Lake City, UT, and graduated from Skyline High School in the class of 1969. In 1974 he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Utah, where he subsequently graduated from Medical School in 1979. He then completed a Family Practice residency in Santa Rosa, CA, where he settled and spent over 20 years serving the medical needs of families at Kaiser Permanente.

Richard met and married Laura Leah Close in Sebastopol, CA. They had two beautiful daughters, Julia Christine and Jenna Marie. Together they enjoyed the pleasures of running, biking, swimming, and camping in the beauty of northern California. Richard was a proud and doting dad. He also cherished his many relatives, friends, and colleagues, and his relationships with his patients at Kaiser Permanente.

Richard was a "Renaissance Man," with interests and talents in myriad activities. Besides medicine and outdoor sports, he loved many types of music; enjoyed playing the guitar and singing; was an avid reader of novels and poetry; and was keenly interested in geology, astronomy, history, and philosophy. His profound curiosity about the world was something he shared with all those who knew him.

Richard is survived by Laura, Julia and Jenna; his companion Sue Stephenson; his brother David Robert (Jenny) Beers; his three sisters, Tina Elaine Byrd, Pamela Lee (Joel) Thompson, and Margaret Ann Beers; and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. His mother and father preceded him in death.