Herbert Michael Schub

Dr. Herbert Michael Schub passed away peacefully at home on May 6, 2025, at the age of 89, after a brief illness. Beloved husband, father, grandfather, physician, teacher, and friend, Herb's passing marks the end of an extraordinary life lived with purpose, passion, discipline, and humor.

Herb was born on February 8, 1936, in the South Bronx, the only child of Samuel and Lilly, Russian Jewish immigrants. He grew up in extremely modest circumstances, shaped by the streets of New York and the values of hard work, determination, and resilience. He often said the two luckiest things that ever happened to him were being born in the United States-and being accepted to Stuyvesant High School. It was there that he discovered his love of learning and thus the journey that would define his life.

Graduating in the top five percent of his class at Stuyvesant, Herb went on to receive a full scholarship to New York University, where he graduated summa cum laude, and then to NYU School of Medicine, earning his medical degree at the age of 24. He completed his internship and residency at Brookdale, Maimonides, Bellevue, and UCSF, and served two years in the U.S. Air Force as a Captain in the Medical Corps.

A devoted physician, Herb became Chief of the Pulmonary Service at Coney Island/Maimonides Hospital before moving with his first wife Pearl and their three young children: Jennifer, Karen and Steven to Oakland, California, in 1972. There, he served for decades as Chief of Pulmonology at Highland County Hospital and as a full clinical professor at UCSF, while also running a private practice and holding leadership roles at Alameda Hospital. He served as President of the Alameda County Lung Association, chaired the California Respiratory Care Assembly, and was honored multiple times as "Teacher of the Year." His commitment to his patients, students, and profession made him a legend in the Bay Area medical community.

Herb's professional achievements were matched by his personal integrity and zest for life. He rose each morning at 4 a.m. to work out, often ate sardines and broccoli for breakfast, and maintained exceptional health and vitality well into his eighties. Colleagues remember him as brilliant, curious, hilarious, and tirelessly devoted to learning and teaching. Patients and friends remember his honesty, his focus, his drive, and his singular dry sense of humor-showcased as the MC, and as a stand-up comic at several hospital fundraisers.

A lifelong student of history, politics, and the human condition, Herb believed that many of life's problems could be solved with the lessons he learned growing up in the Bronx. These early experiences became the philosophical grounding of his life.

Herb retired at the age of 83 but remained mentally and physically vigorous until a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer in March of this year. He met this final chapter with the same courage and strength that defined his life. With no fear and no regrets, he quoted Lou Gehrig: "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." But those who knew him knew the truth-we were the lucky ones.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Lyn, with whom he traveled the world (every continent except Antarctica), shared deep laughter, and built a beautiful life. He is also survived by his children: Jennifer (married, mother of five, living in Israel), Karen (married, mother of one, living in Alameda, California), and Steven (married, father of two, living in Los Angeles); as well as his stepchildren, Nathan (married, with two children) and Rebecca (also married, with two children)-for a total of twelve adoring grandchildren.

Herb's life exemplified a life well lived, marked by health, strength, humor, and clarity of mind until the very end, followed by a gentle, dignified departure. Herb showed us how to live wisely and die with dignity. So make someone you love smile today in his honor. He would've liked that.

Herb Schub: physician, patriot, professor, comedian, conservative, philosopher, and hero.