Robert Richard Strome M.D.

1937 - 2019

Robert Richard Strome, MD

Greenville - Robert Richard Strome, MD, New York pediatric ophthalmologist and humanitarian, died peacefully in Greenville, South Carolina on May 30, 2019 after a long illness. His devoted wife and sister-in-law were at his side. He was 81 and is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel and Sylvia Strome, and his brother Steven. He is survived by his beloved wife of 20 years, Jennifer Strome, his sister Sandra Strome (Toby Tate), and his two daughters from a previous marriage: Kimberly (Jean Putzer, and children Samuel, Priscilla, Alexander, Oliver) and Melissa (Harry Lis, and children Liam, Zarielle, Quinn, and Liev), all of New York City.

Robert "Bobby" Strome was born October 12, 1937 in the Bronx, New York and grew up near his Dad's store, Schmuger Hardware, on 3rd Ave and 166th Street. On his 80th birthday, after retiring from his long career in medicine, he went by for a last look just before the store shuttered for good. He shared fond memories of summer softball games, attending boxing matches with his Dad, sleeping on the fire escape, and Fox's U-bet soda, grateful for his down-to-earth beginnings.

After receiving a BA in history from New York University, Dr. Strome spent seven years in Italy, where he learned Italian and earned an M.D. at the University of Padua. On his return to the U.S. he interned at Long Island Queens Hospital Center, where he was named intern of the year, becoming Chief Resident in Ophthalmology in his senior year. He then became a Costenbader Fellow in Pediatric Ophthalmology at Children's Hospital National Medical Center in Washington D.C.

Dr. Strome was affiliated with major New York area hospitals, including NY Eye and Ear Infirmary, Weill/Cornell University Medical Center, and North Shore Long Island Hospital. In the last years of his 40-year career he was also Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, teaching international surgery students, at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute of Columbia University. His students twice voted him Best Clinical Professor. For his part, Dr. Strome always showed great admiration for his office staff, and respect for the nurses and physicians he worked with.

Robert Strome was an elegant man with a sly sense of humor, an appetite for freshly made pasta, and New York deli food, and he took great joy in the company of his close friends. He loved dancing as well as the quiet of long country walks and spent hours absorbed in scholarly reading. An avid sportsman, he played tennis, joined a sculling team, and ran marathons in New York, Long Island, and Philadelphia. In retirement, he discovered Prime Video and binged on documentaries and biographies in science, sports, nature, physics and Winston Churchill.

To remember him by, in lieu of a funeral service, Dr. Strome chose these two favorites. First, "There is a Time for Everything," from Ecclesiastes (3-1-11). And, second, as he was a romantic at heart, Autumn Leaves by Nat King Cole. Contributions honoring his memory, if wished, would be graciously accepted by Open Arms/McCall Hospice House,1836 W Georgia Road, Simpsonville, SC 29680 for their sensitive and caring support.