Dr. Norman W Luebkeman M.D.'s Obituary
Dr. Norman Walter Luebkeman, M.D. November 11, 1936 – July 3, 2015 Resident of Danville, CANorman Luebkeman received his crown of eternal life on the evening July 3, 2015. He passed away peacefully, at home, after a short battle with cancer. Norman spent his childhood in Hayward, California. He graduated from Concordia High School in Oakland and then from the University of California, Berkeley. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco, as part of the class of 1962. During a one-year hiatus from medical school, he returned to study education at U.C. Berkeley, where he obtained a post-graduate general secondary teaching credential.Upon graduating from medical school, Norman served an internship at Southern Pacific Hospital in San Francisco. Upon the completion of his internship he was inducted into the U.S. Army, with the rank of Captain. He served one year at a MASH in Korea and one year at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Upon returning to civilian life, he worked first as an Emergency Room Physician at Contra Costa County Hospital in Martinez, before operating a private General and Family Medicine practice in Hayward for several years. When Eden Hospital in Castro Valley first opened its Emergency Room, Norman was one of the initial group of doctors who staffed the facility. He served more than twenty years as an Emergency Room doctor at Eden Hospital, before retiring in 1993.As a long-time fan of boxing, Norman became active in amateur boxing. He assisted in youth programs sponsored by several organizations, including the Police Athletic League. Following his retirement from Eden, he served as an attending fight doctor at amateur bouts, traveling with the U.S. team throughout the United States and to England, Thailand, and Ireland. This last visit came at the express invitation of the Irish Boxing Association, in appreciation of his actions on a prior occasion in the U.S. when he had diagnosed one of their fighters with a potentially fatal condition. He was recognized as “Physician of the Year” in n1994 by USA Boxing. He frequently donned the gloves himself to spar with individuals 30 or more years younger than himself, including men who went on to win professional world championship belts.Norman relished the opportunity to travel and was able to see much of the world. In addition to visiting most of the United States, his extensive travels included trips to Central and South America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, much of the Far East, several trips to Europe, and numerous cruises.Norman was a life-long devoted member of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod, first as a member of the church his father founded – Grace Lutheran Church in Hayward – and then as a member at Messiah Lutheran Church in Danville. He was active in Messiah’s choir and in Bible Study classes. He welcomed the opportunity to share his faith with others. While he will be missed by all who knew him, he rests now in the arms of his Savior.Norman was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Walter T. and Edith A. Luebkeman, and by his sisters, Marion Johnson and Ruth Borchers. He is survived by his nephews, James Johnson of Riverton, UT, Jeff Johnson of Castro Valley, CA, Jordan Johnson of Concord, CA, and Brian Borchers of Forestville, CA, his niece, Linda Lane of Carmichael, CA, by their spouses and children, and by numerous cousins and extended family.A funeral service will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church, 2305 Camino Tassajara, Danville, CA, at 10:00 AM on Saturday, July 18th. A brief internment ceremony will occur later that same day at the Chapel of the Chimes, 32992 Mission Boulevard, Hayward, CA. Donations to Norman’s favored charities are welcomed: LCMS Human Care and World Relief and LCMS World Missions, which may be sent care of Messiah Lutheran Church in Danville.
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