Dr. Robert Edward Rychly

Dr. Robert Rychly, longtime resident of Augusta, passed away 

September 4, 2022 in Evans, Georgia.

Robert was born in Dallas, Texas on December 27, 1946 to his parents

Wilbur and Irene. He had a lively, adventurous childhood. His father’s

curiosity and entrepreneurial streak saw the family living in St. Louis;

Milwaukee; Cocoa Beach, Florida; and Rapid City, South Dakota.

There, Robert graduated high school while helping his parents run a

motel that served Mt. Rushmore visitors.

Robert’s passion for science was evident from an early age. As a high

schooler, he conducted a study of stream courses and erosion that led

to a win at the National Science Fair. The win brought a prize of four

weeks as an apprentice aboard a Coast Guard research vessel in the

North Atlantic.

Once back on dry land, Robert headed to Georgia Tech where he

studied textile chemistry. Midway through college he won a scholarship

for a year’s study at Leeds University in Leeds, England. Then, back in

Atlanta, he graduated as the top textile chemistry student in his class.

Feeling a call to medicine, Robert began working as an orderly at

Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. He gained admission to the Tulane

University School of Medicine and moved to New Orleans. By his fourth

year of Medical School, Robert was also an active duty officer in the US

Army. He completed his residency as an Army physician at Ft. Bliss in

El Paso, Texas. There, he fondly remembered managing the William

Beaumont Hospital emergency room. He would also serve on rescue

crews that flew Huey helicopters to crash sites and emergencies across

remote West Texas.

The Army brought Robert to Ft. Gordon in Augusta in 1978. In 1980, he

moved into private practice with Herman Peskin and Alex Murphy at

Internal Medicine Associates of Augusta. He specialized in Internal

Medicine and Gerontology until his retirement in 2017. For the last

quarter century of his career, he also served as the Medical Director of

Brandon Wilde retirement community in Evans, Georgia.

Back in 1966, when Robert was still a freshman at Georgia Tech, he

met an Agnes Scott student named Carol Jensen at the first dance of

the year. Robert and Carol married in Albany, Georgia in 1969 and

celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary this past February. They

raised two sons who still reside in the Augusta area.

Robert was a deeply spiritual man and happy to have been a founding

member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Evans, Georgia. The

first planning meetings of the church were held around Robert and

Carol’s kitchen table, and Robert was the church’s first Director of

Missions.

When Robert retired from medicine and Carol retired from a career of

teaching and administration at Augusta University, the couple moved to

Asheville, North Carolina. They embarked on numerous travel

adventures, including a river cruise down the Nile, until Covid turned

them to camping. For the last couple of years, Robert and Carol have

criss-crossed the country many times with their beloved Airstream trailer

and their faithful Corgi. They have visited so many state and national

parks that even Teddy Roosevelt would have to be pleased. The couple

were camping in Grand Junction, Colorado in May when Robert

became ill. He was able to return to Brandon Wilde, this time as a

patient, for the last month of his life. His family wishes to offer heartfelt

appreciation for the care he received.

Robert is survived by his wife Carol, his sons David and Matthew, his

daughters-in-law Laura and Jill, and his granddaughters Lydia and

Margot.

It was Dr. Rychly’s wish that any remembrances be gifted to the Black

Mountain Home for Children, Youth, and Families in Black Mountain,

North Carolina.