In Loving Memory of Robert "Bobby" Dick

Please join us in honoring Bobby’s legacy by supporting the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (link below).

Cancer…cannot prevail!  This cancer must not prevail! Losing your loved one…Losing our loved one must not be the way cancer patients have their story end.  Cancer research requires money and lots of it, if each person donated, any amount, we could get there.  It is the only way to “stop the madness and end the sadness.” Please make the commitment to help our grief have meaning by becoming part of the fight.

Bobby’s story:

In May 2022, Bobby developed lower back pain.  Initially diagnosed with a muscle strain, he soon developed a fever and was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection.  Further testing revealed cancerous cells in his urine for which he  underwent a cystoscopy which confirmed a cancerous mass in his ureter.  He was told he had a form of bladder cancer and was reassured that this was the “good type of cancer.”  While he would require surgery to remove the tumor, clinicians believed at the time after curative treatment he would require frequent screenings and follow up but otherwise live a long life.  He underwent surgery in July 2022 removing the tumor from his left ureter while preserving the function of his kidney.  However, the tumor had escaped the wall of the ureter invading the surrounding tissue.  Pelvic lymph nodes also appeared impacted.  In late July, Bobby received his biopsy report which revealed his tumor cells were consistent with small cell neuroendocrine type. 

Bobby’s August 2022 PET scan showed the cancer had spread to pelvic and peritoneal lymph nodes, his liver and his bone.  His diagnosis suddenly became an aggressive stage 4 primary ureteral neuroendocrine cancer with small cell differentiation, a cancer with no cure.  A referral was made to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where his diagnosis was confirmed; he was one of less than 50 cases of this type of cancer documented in the medical literature in the last 40 years.  If a therapy worked, the best case scenario was increased longevity.  Fifty percent of patients with this type of cancer die within 6 months of diagnosis.

Bobby endured numerous chemotherapies, with each subsequent PET scan revealing worsening disease and further spread throughout his body.  All attempts at treatment were tried.  He failed to respond to a PARP inhibitor and was slated to start another type of chemotherapy that had some success with small cell lung cancer.  He underwent radiation therapy for pain management to his left clavicle and his left hip and to shrink the tumors that were strangling right kidney and ureter.  This caused radiation enteritis which plagued him for weeks severely impacting his quality of life.  Until this time Bobby still was able to continue working as an entertainer and enjoyed visiting with family and friends.  Now he was no longer able to leave his house.

In March 2023 Bobby was admitted to the hospital with a urinary tract infection which led to blood sepsis.  While he was successfully treated for the sepsis, during this hospitalization it was determined that the cancer had spread further and he was now in liver failure.  At this time it was determined he was no longer a candidate for the small cell lung cancer chemotherapy agent and all treatments had been exhausted.  A hospice referral was advised.  The very day upon learning this, Bobby and his loving wife and family brought him home to live out his final days. 

He entertained us for two weeks with his songs and his jokes and most importantly he loved us up!

On March 27, 2023, the time had come for Bobby Dick, 76, to ‘fade to black,’ surrounded by his family and before any of us were ready.

We would love for you to read on to learn more about our husband, father, brother, friend – he truly was an angel on earth!

Bobby was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and began performing at a young age.  He was frequently absent from school on Mondays and Fridays due to “gigs” and so he was enrolled at Quintano’s School for Young Professionals. His classmate, Patty Duke, asked him to escort her to the prom at The Tavern on the Green but, unfortunately, he had to decline due to a scheduled performance in Lake George.

Bobby became a member of The Del-Phi’s after winning a talent contest as a vocalist and to quote him, “Because I was a lousy guitar player, they handed me a bass.”  Members of the band came and went and eventually The Sundowners were formed.  In 1963, The Sundowners moved to upstate New York after a rival band reportedly turned them in for performing in bars while underage.  In 1965, they opened for the Rolling Stones at the Palace Theatre as well as the Dave Clark Five at the RPI Field House. Soon after, they headed to California which led to touring with the Monkees, cameo performances on “The Flying Nun” and “It Takes A Thief,” meeting Elvis and the list goes on.

After the band ended in 2011, Bobby continued to perform with his wife, Susie Q for the next 12 years. While battling a very rare cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, amazingly, his last performance was in February of this year.

Bobby enjoyed pickle ball, tennis, racquet ball, biking, boating, swimming and practical jokes.  He was a grill master and a DIY craftsman. He was proud of having built his house with his father, however in his eyes, the “Dickdeck” he built by himself made it his palace.

He never met a stranger and he made each one of us feel like the most important person in the room.  He saw the good in everyone; he was the underdog’s champion.  Bobby thrived on creating and enjoying the energy in the room; sharing a drink, a story, a smile, a tear or a dance.  He believed in each and every member of his family & friends, was loyal to his people and an endless giver of his time.  He was the BIG personality in the room with his charismatic presence. 

Bobby’s pearls of wisdom: “Be a leader, not a follower; drive defensively; don’t invite us if you don’t expect us to come; the show must go on and half of life is showing up!”  Please honor Bobby’s memory by showing up – for your family, your friends…your life!