Dr. Robert D. Lundquist died 2000

LUNDQUIST, SAENZ, DENIS

Posted By: Shary Ferrall
Date: 7/5/2006 at 00:31:47

Friends and family at the March 29 memorial service for Dr. Robert D. Lundquist at the Los Altos United Methodist Church described his kindness and generosity.

An oral surgeon by profession, Dr. Lundquist died peacefully in his Los Altos Hills home on March 25, while sitting at his new computer. He was 77.

A native of Iowa, he moved to Los Altos in 1954 and opened his practice. He retired in 1981 and spent the last 19 years volunteering for community organizations.

Jack Huston, fellow Iowan and former Los Altos Chamber of Commerce executive director, said, "He raised his children in Los Altos schools and supported the schools generously. He helped establish El Camino Hospital and the Foothill- De Anza Community College District."

Dr. Lundquist served as president of the Northern California Society of Oral Surgeons and the Mid-Peninsula Dental Society. He was a member of the American College of Dentists and Chief of the Dental Staff at El Camino Hospital.

Bob Williams, a retired Los Altos orthodontist, said Lundquist helped him start his practice. "He gave me guidance on how to handle patients and how to work with surgical procedures."

Len McBirney, a retired Los Altos dentist, said he sent Lundquist all his extractions. "He was diligent and kind, and he worried about his patients," McBirney said. "I always referred my patients to him because I could trust him with my clients."

He was a longtime member of the Los Altos United Methodist Church, an elder and member of numerous church committees. He joined the Rotary Club of Los Altos in 1970 and was president in 1986-87.

"He made you feel like a friend right away instead of a stranger," said Boo Bue, a fellow Rotarian. "He was president the year we admitted our first woman into the Rotary Club. Through his resourcefulness, the occasion was uneventful and today, 28 percent of our members are women."

After Dr. Lundquist retired, he spent time in his back yard growing orchids, raising birds, fruit trees and plants. Most of the flowers and fruit were given to charitable organizations.

Other highlights of Dr. Lundquist's community service include serving as board member of the Los Altos Community Foundation, member of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, member of Los Altos History House committees and working as a docent at the Stanford University Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his best friend and wife of 53 years, Ruth Lundquist of Los Altos Hills; daughters Kathi Saenz of Los Altos and Kristin Denis of Matomedi, Minn.; son Eric Lundquist of Santa Barbara and brother Don Lundquist of Augusta, Ga.

Interment will be at Cedar Memorial Cemetery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he will be buried next to his mother and father.

-04/05/2000 Los Altos Town Crier (California), By Clyde Noel, Special to the Town Crier