Dr. Patrick Alan Burch   Age 66

Pat Burch passed away on February 18th at The Homestead of Rochester at age 66.  Pat was born in Illinois, and grew up on beautiful Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, where he was a star athlete.  He went on to attend college at Lawrence University where he received a BS degree and played on the football team.

In 1977, he began his medical training at Medical College of Wisconsin.  In 1979, he married his wife Kathy in St. Paul.  Following medical school, he was a resident in internal medicine in Milwaukee, ending with a year as chief resident.

Pat completed a fellowship in oncology at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore after which he joined the Department of Oncology at Mayo Clinic Rochester.  He was a compassionate and dedicated physician who was adored by his patients, some of whom continued to stay in touch long after leaving his care.  In 2006, he received the Mayo Distinguished Clinician Award for Internal Medicine.  He continued to serve Mayo through clinical work and later by assisting with research until his retirement in December of 2017.

In addition to his career in oncology, Pat enjoyed golfing, bowling, biking, and swimming.  He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather.

Pat is survived by his wife Kathy; his daughters, Carolyn (Charles), Allison (Justin), and grandsons Sullivan and Dean; brother Michael (Evelyn) Burch of Oregon, WI; and many nieces and nephews.  He is preceded in death by his brothers, Kim (Sue) Burch and Scott Burch; his mother, Carolyn Burch Gramley, and her husband, Marvin Gramley.

Memorials are suggested to Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center – Please specify in honor of Patrick Burch.