Dr. Kirk ROWBOTHAM M.D.

ROWBOTHAM, Dr. Kirk M.D. Kirk Rowbotham, M.D., passed away on May 16, 2019 following a heart attack. He was 57. Dr. Rowbotham grew up on a farm in Ellensburg, Washington. The youngest of five children, he and his mother shared a passion for show horses, touring the state competing in horse shows and winning numerous awards. He graduated from Central Washington University, then completed medical school at the University of Washington School of Medicine and postgraduate training and internal medicine residency at Internal Medicine Spokane, an affiliate of the University of Washington School of Medicine. Dr. Rowbotham loved God, his family, his work and his music. He met his wife Angela when he was in medical school and she was a nurse. They were married 31 years, raising three children in Spokane Joshua, Benjamin and Hannah. Weekends, holidays and after school evenings were filled with family activities such as boating and kids' sporting events. The family grew accustom to hearing Dr. Rowbotham practice guitar, mandolin and bass, something he did daily once discovering his love of music. He and his daughter played guitar together. His favorite genre was blue grass, and he formed a trio known around Spokane as Poor Boy's Delight, performing at the Fall Folk Festival in Spokane Valley each year. On Sunday afternoons he could be found at Auntie's Bookstore where he joined other musicians to jam. And on occasion, Dr. Rowbotham took to the stage during business meetings, sharing his sense of humor and love for music to the delight of colleagues. Dr. Rowbotham cared for countless patients as an internal medicine doctor, having joined Inland Empire Internal Medicine in 1993. The group became Physicians Clinic of Spokane, for which he served as president for six years before the group joined Providence Medical Group in 2012. In 2013, Dr. Rowbotham's role grew to oversee approximately 500 primary care, specialty care and hospital-based providers who made up Providence Medical Group in Spokane and Stevens counties. During the next four years, he oversaw the expansion of the group to more than 800 providers in two counties. In 2017, Dr. Rowbotham decided to leave clinical practice in order to take on additional leadership responsibilities within Providence, becoming Medical Group Chief Executive for the Washington and Montana Region, and helping grow the group to more than 2,000 providers and 56,000 caregivers in the two states. Dr. Rowbotham loved caring for patients, and said his decision to leave clinical practice was one of the most difficult decisions of his medical career. "I have truly treasured my relationship with you over our many years of working together," he said in a letter to his patients. "It has been a privilege to walk with you and share in your lives." Dr. Rowbotham is survived by his wife Angela, their three children, Joshua, Benjamin and Hannah; granddaughter Hayden; sisters Lynne Mason and Cheri Clark and brothers Jeff and Shan. He was preceded in death by his parents Keith and Peg Rowbotham. Memorial services will be Friday, May 31 at 10 a.m. at the Garland Church in Spokane (2011 W. Garland). In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Providence Health Care Foundation, 101 West 8th Ave., Spokane, WA 99223 or providence.org/givingewa.