Robert Verne Bain

1931 - 2019

Robert Verne Bain

Salem - Dr. Robert Verne Bain of Salem, Oregon passed away peacefully on January 19, 2019. Robert (Bob) was born in Salem, Oregon on November 5, 1931 to Verne D. and Pauline (McClintock) Bain. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Janet (Skinner) Bain; his sister, Ruth (Bain) Ball (and Jack) of Portland; his three children, Laurie Bain Kiff (and Joel) of McMinnville, Oregon, Wallace Bain (and Marie Oniwa) of Khartoum, Sudan, and Doug Bain (and Stacy) of Austin, Texas; grandchildren Robin, Erin, Adam, Jason, Alexander, Tyler and Jaime; and many nieces and nephews.

After starting school in Salem, Bob graduated from Grant High School in Portland, in 1949. He received his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Willamette University, and in 1957, his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oregon Medical School. In 1956, Bob and Janet married and started their life of adventure. They spent their honeymoon-summer spotting fires and living on a remote 40-foot-tall fire lookout. Then, a year in Long Island, New York, where Bob completed his medical internship. In 1958, Bob was drafted as a U.S. Navy doctor and spent two years on Midway Island. Janet joined him after Laurie was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and they lived a tropical life for the next year and a half. When they moved to Salem, Bob joined the Salem Clinic as the eighth physician, and in 1962 and 1964, Wallace and Doug were born. In the 1970's Bob oversaw the design and building of the new Salem Clinic on Portland Road. Bob practiced Family Medicine at the Salem Clinic for 34 years.

Music was one of Bob's greatest passions, and he seemed to remember every word of every song he had ever heard. In high school, he sang in choir and played oboe in the Portland Junior Symphony. At Willamette, he was active in the University Choir and the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity chorus. During medical school he sang with the Forceps Four barbershop quartet, and The Bohemians, a semi-professional acapella ensemble. Later, he sang many years with the Willamette Master Chorus. Bob composed vocal and instrumental music, including a choral piece, The Millennium, which was premiered by the Oregon State University choir.

An avid naturalist and outdoorsman, Bob grew up fishing and exploring (a much wilder) Oregon with his father and grandfather. He went on to climb most of the Northwest's mountains, and to discover hidden alpine wildflower meadows, as well as some of the best trout ripples in Oregon's creeks and rivers. Bob and Janet traveled extensively including many trips to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Palm Desert, and many countries around the world, often to visit Wallace at his various posts with the Foreign Service. One highlight trip was to retrace family roots in northern Scotland with thirteen family members, including a four-month old grandson. Bob also loved history, westerns, bridge, crossword puzzles, sporting events, and time with family and friends.

A service celebrating Bob's life will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, March 2, 2019, at the First United Methodist Church in Salem, Oregon with a reception following in the adjacent MICAH Building. If you have memories of Bob you would like to share with his family, please email them to BobBainMemories@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers or other gifts, the Bain family suggests contributions to the Organ Endowment Fund of the First United Methodist Church of Salem, the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, or The Nature Conservancy of Oregon.