Richard F. Zegarra

Richard F. Zegarra, M.D. 88, passed away on August 6, 2014 at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was born on July 18, 1926 in Lima, Peru to Teodoro Zegarra Prado and Petronila Zegarra Vernal. Richard grew up in Lima and attended Seventh-day Adventist schools, selling church literature in the summers to help pay for his school tuition. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, he worked briefly for the Peruvian Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, teaching mathematics in a remote school in the Peruvian Andes. At age 18 he came to the United States and studied violin at Seventh-day Adventist Universities in Madison, Tennessee and Walla Walla, Washington. He then attended Pacific Union College in Angwin California where he majored in pre-med chemistry and minored in theology. Richard graduated from medical school at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico and served one year in public health service in La Cordona, Nuevo León. This experience impressed him to devote his life to serving people. He returned to the United States and completed his internship, post-graduate training, and residencies in pathology. Out of his desire to help people, Richard became interested in emergency medicine and devoted nearly 30 years to this practice. In 1999, at age 73, he "retired" to full-time occupational medicine, which he practiced until January of this year; a total of over 52 years. Richard was committed to Christian Adventist education and regularly and generously supported scholarship funds for students in many different Adventist schools throughout the United States and South America. In recent years he became a dedicated contributor to Eyes for India, a charitable program that provides free eye surgery to the poor in India who are blinded by cataracts. Nutrition, physical fitness, and body building were important to Richard throughout his life. An avid tennis player in his younger years and an enthusiast his entire life, he followed the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world tour and Grand Slam tournaments throughout each year, cheering his favorite players, who included Bjorn Borg, Arthur Ashe, and Rafael Nadal. He enjoyed watching professional boxing, still reveling over Cassius Clay's old fights, and World Cup Soccer. He also loved cars, was quite the sports car enthusiast, and enjoyed attending auto shows when possible. Richard enjoyed classical music, especially violin music, and frequently attended the International Violin Competition in Indianapolis. He also enjoyed reading; particularly the books of Cervantes, Victor Hugo, and Samuel Smiles. Richard constantly desired a deeper relationship with His Lord and especially since his retirement he spent many hours studying and praying. Richard was preceded in death by his parents; by his brothers, Guillermo, Teodoro, Jorge, and Alberto; and by his sisters, Silvia and Ruth. Richard is survived by his children, Richard II (Debbie) of Hebron, KY, Robert (Heidi) of Foxboro, MA, and Mark of Indianapolis, IN; grandchildren Richard III, Ethan, Christina, Maya, and Micah, and nieces and nephews and other relatives. The family will receive friends and relatives at the Carmel Seventh-day Adventist Church, 146th St. and Carey Road, Carmel, IN, on Sunday, August 17 at 2 pm, followed by a short memorial service at 3pm. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial donations be made to Eyes for India, c/o It Is Written Television, Box O, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359. Online donations can be made to www.itiswritten.com/eyesforindia.