- Date Of Birth: November 13, 1942
- Date Of Death: July 24, 2018
- State: Georgia
Robert Lafayette Whipple III MD Robert “Bobby” Whipple, 75, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 24th, 2018 with his family at his side. Bobby was born on November 13th, 1942 in Atlanta Georgia. He graduated high school from The Westminster Schools in 1960. He attended Vanderbilt University, graduating in 1963 Summa Cum Laude and was a proud member of the AOA Honor Medical Society and SAE Fraternity. From there, he went on to Emory Medical School, graduating Summa Cum Laude in 1967. Post graduation, he started his internship at Grady Memorial Hospital where he met his beloved wife, Claire. They were married in 1968. Shortly after marrying Claire, Bobby was drafted into the U.S. Navy and attended flight surgery school in Pensacola FL. Bobby was assigned as a flight surgeon to Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station in Hawaii. Bobby and Claire took full advantage of island and Navy life in Hawaii by going to the beach, weekend scuba diving trips and social events at the officer’s club. He was assigned to several squadrons as a flight surgeon, and deployed to DaNang, South Vietnam in 1971 with Squadron VFMA 212. He received a Bronze Star for Valor for his actions during a missile attack on their base shortly after they arrived. After his service in the U.S. Navy, Bobby and Claire returned to Atlanta where he completed his residency at Grady Memorial Hospital and fellowship at Crawford Long Hospital. Bobby then co-founded Northwest Cardiology Consultants with his medical school roommate. The practice expanded and grew over the years, merging to form Cardiology of Georgia in 1992. Finally, Bobby was a founding member of what is now Piedmont Heart Institute in 2001 before his retirement from medicine in 2005. During his long career, he was a fellow of the American College of Cardiology, member of the American Heart Association, Atlanta Medical Society, Georgia Medical Society, Atlanta Clinical Society and American Clinical & Climatological Society. Bobby had a work hard, play hard philosophy and he lived life to the fullest. While his three kids were young, he enjoyed countless family trips to Lake Lanier, Amelia Island and spent many hours boating, fishing, camping and pulling his kids on skis, tubes, rafts and any other floating devices. He was also a huge fan of winter sports. Bobby and family went on many ski trips out west and he was always up for an adventure. After his retirement in 2005, he enjoyed his free time playing golf with his buddies and spending time on Amelia Island and at Lake Toxaway. He and Claire also loved traveling around the country visiting friends and family and going on several different cruises around the world. He was also a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Newnan. In his down time, he could be found working a crossword puzzle or exploring a new cookbook for the perfect recipe. Bobby was a very genuine, honest and humble man who worked to be the best he could be. He treated everyone he met with respect and dignity and was quick with a kind word or witty retort. Once his children were grown and had families of their own, he found a new level of love when his grandchildren were born. He was so proud of each and every one of them and he loved the moments he had with them. Bobby was a great husband, father, provider, friend, role model and doctor who will be sorely missed by everyone who was lucky enough to get to know him. Survivors include wife, Claire LeBlanc Whipple; children, Robert L. Whipple IV & wife Claudia, Justin Whipple & wife Tracy, Mary Claire Wickliffe & husband Chad Hamlin; brother, Joseph Whipple & wife Linda; grandchildren, Liam Whipple, Amelia Whipple, Holden Whipple, Hadley Whipple, Hayden Whipple, Anna Wickliffe, Madelyn Wickliffe; nieces and nephews.
