TRAVIS RAY CAVENS M.D.

1935 - 2021

TRAVIS RAY CAVENS, MD

February 28, 1935 - July 30, 2021

Travis Ray Cavens died in Longview on July 30, 2021 with his beloved wife Phyllis by his side. He was born in Mt. Vernon, Washington, February 28, 1935.

Blessed by much love and support, Travis overcame a form of cerebral palsy and went on to enjoy a life of great accomplishment and service. While at Beaverton High School, he served as editor of the school paper, yearbook editor, and student body president. Upon graduation in 1953, he enrolled at the University of Oregon and led his Chi Psi Fraternity to win the 1956 "Vodvil", beating their Beta rivals (whose act was written by Ken Kesey) and earning Travis the best actor award.

Travis taught Biology and Chemistry at Sunset High School for three years, earning the 1961 OMSI award for the state's outstanding Biology teacher. Decades later, a former student introduced him at a banquet, saying, "I had three great teachers. Two were Nobel Prize winners. The third was Mr. Cavens." In 1961, he enrolled at the University of Oregon Medical School and earned an MD degree. He boasted, however, that his greatest achievement was marrying his classmate, Phyllis Nybakke, in 1963. Following their graduation in 1965, they interned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and completed a pediatric residency program at University of Oregon Medical School. In 1971, Travis and Phyllis, plus their two children, Derek (1969) and Sonja (1970) moved to Longview, Washington where he practiced in a private clinic before joining Phyllis to help develop the Child and Adolescent Clinic.

Travis conducted practice-based research that was published in several medical journals. In addition, he was the author, photographer, and publisher of three coffee table books: Lake Sacajawea, Being a Pediatrician, and (with co-author David Freece) Cowlitz County-Then and Now. He wrote and produced a play about Longview's founder, Mr. Long, Timber Baron, which ran for a week at Longview's Columbia Theater. He sometimes assumed the role of Mr. Long for community events and was instrumental in getting Longview included in a PBS documentary about Long. He also earned the Robert A. Long Historic Preservation Award, and Longview's 23 Club Distinguished Service Award in 2006.

Travis and Phyllis traveled around the world. They canoed the Amazon River, swam Australia's Great Barrier Reef, explored the pharaoh's chamber inside Egypt's Great Pyramid, climbed 19,000 ft. Mt. Kilimanjaro, and spent nine summers in the mountains above Lake Chelan at Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center. But they also travelled to help people. Volunteering with Northwest Medical Teams on month-long mission trips, they served many of the world's hotspots including Cambodia, Laos, India, Ethiopia, Iraq, Mexico, Rwanda, Honduras, Romania, Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Kosovo. He served as founding Chairman of the Board of Directors of Northwest Medical Teams for ten years and continued on the board for another decade as it grew into Medical Teams International. Travis also served as president of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, the Cowlitz County Historical Society, KLTV, and the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Counties Medical Society. He served on the boards of the Lower Columbia Mental Health Center, Longview Rotary, Pathways 2020, Lower Columbia Community Action Program, and the Longview School District. He was a Fellow of American Academy of Pediatrics.

While serving on a medical mission to Honduras, Travis learned that mothers infected with AIDS often passed the virus to their babies at birth. He inspired the Longview Rotary and Northwest Medical teams to create the first AIDS laboratory in Central America. He led the four Rotary clubs of Cowlitz and Clark Counties to increase the child immunization rate from 50% to 96% and to support Rotary International's project to eliminate the polio virus forever. In 1995, Longview Rotary presented the "International Vocational Award" jointly to both Phyllis and Travis. In 2000, Rotary awarded Travis with a Paul Harris Fellowship, and Rotary International honored him with the 2001 "Service above Self" award. Longview Rotary capped this in 2014 with an Honorary Membership for him to treasure in retirement.

This life's work reflected Travis's core belief that his Christian faith should center on love and compassion; compelling us to serve others, and in turn blessing us with purpose, meaning, dignity, and fulfillment. He exemplified this love at all times (seasoned by his generous wit) with his wife and partner Phyllis, as well as his children, extended family, and the larger community. Perhaps the best reward for his care and expertise was the countless times about town he was enthusiastically greeted and thanked by his young patients and their parents.

He is survived by Phyllis, his wife of 58 years; son Derek (Kate Kostelnik); daughter Sonja Cavens-Harman (Aaron); grandchildren Miller, Blake, and Hazel; his sister Marylee "Penny" Charman; and brother Pastor Rick Cavens (Mari).

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2 p.m. August 16, 2021 at the Longview Community Church in Longview, Washington. The service will be livestreamed on youtube. Visit longviewcommunitychurch.org for the link. Please visit the online guest book at Steele Chapel's website to sign and share your thoughts.

Donations in Travis's honor may be made to medicalteamsinternational.org.