Othello physician had an impact on many lives
Dr. Richard Bunch, pictured with a couple of his patients, cared for three and even four generations of Othello residents. Bunch died Nov. 10 at 84 years of age.
OTHELLO — Richard Bunch was a part of life -- from birth to death -- in Othello for more than half a century.
Bunch, who died Nov. 10 at 84 years of age, was a physician in Othello from 1962 until his retirement in 2014.
“He was kind of a mainstay to the medical community in Othello,” said his son Mark. “He touched a lot of lives.”
Bunch’s medical philosophy, Mark said, was based on the idea that doctors should pay attention to what the patient has to say.
“His emphasis was listening to his patients,” Mark added, explaining as well as he could the solutions for their problem.
“Be attuned to their (the patients’) needs,” Mark said. “He had a pretty loyal following because of that.”
The Bunch family arrived in Othello at the invitation of pioneer Othello physician Ken Pershall. Doc Pershall, as he was widely known, opened his practice in Othello in 1955.
Othello was experiencing explosive growth in 1962, and Dr. Pershall needed help.
“He (Pershall) recruited my dad, and they were a real strong partnership for 15 years,” Mark said.
There was plenty to keep two doctors busy.
“They were just crushed by the demand for care,” Mark said. “We didn’t see a lot of Dad during the week.”
The doctor was off to work before the kids were up, and didn’t always make it home for dinner. If he did make dinner there was often a phone call, or two or three, and maybe a summons back to the hospital.
“He was very dedicated,” Mark said. “If Dad wasn’t home, he was at work.”
Even with the demands, he was committed to his profession.
”He loved being a medical provider,” Mark said.
And at that time the doctor provided cradle-to-grave care.
“He loved delivering babies, too. He delivered a lot of babies,” Mark said.
He delivered three -- and maybe even four -- generations of babies for some of his patients’ families. The obstetrics unit at Othello Community Hospital was named in his honor.
“I can’t tell you how many babies he delivered, because we lost count,” said OCH chief executive officer Connie Agenbroad.
Agenbroad was one of Bunch’s patients, and so was her late son Sean.
“I could never have asked for a better doctor than Dr. Bunch,” Agenbroad said.
Richard Bunch stayed with the family every step of the way as Sean fought leukemia. Once when Sean needed a quick x-ray, Dr. Bunch took Sean to OCH in his own car, carried Sean inside and stayed with him until the procedure was finished.
“He was such a caring physician. His patients came before anybody else,” Agenbroad said. “I don’t know there will ever be another Dr. Bunch.”
“He was a very kind and gentle man,” Mark said. “He had his sense of humor. He loved to have fun. He did a lot of work, but he liked to have fun, too.”
Hunting was one of his passions, both with his sons and with his friends.
“Every deer season, every elk season, he had a gang to go hunting with,” Mark said.
He was an equally enthusiastic fisherman and had a wide range of interests, from aviation to music.
“We (his children) got to spend some good quality time with him, doing what he loved to do,” Mark said.
Bunch opened the 14th Street Clinic in 1984, and eventually his son Randel joined him in the practice in 1991. He joined the Columbia Basin Health Association practice in 2004, retiring from active practice in 2016, but continuing as a clinical mentor until 2019.