Dr. Robert Vincent Kotas' Obituary
Robert V. Kotas, age 81, passed away suddenly on April 12, 2020.
The grandson of Polish immigrants, Robert "Bob" Kotas spent his childhood on the farm in Elma, New York, He attended Canisius College, The University of Buffalo School of Medicine, and The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for Pediatric Residency. He then served as a captain in the United States Air Force.
Robert met Ilona in the check-out lane, where she worked, at the Base Exchange in Amarillo, Texas. He purchased razors day after day in order to gain her attention. They married on March 2, 1968. After discharge from the Air Force, Bob and Ilona moved to Baltimore, Maryland where he was awarded a fellowship with Johns Hopkins.
After Baltimore, they moved to Montreal, where he worked as a fellow for McGill University. While there, he and the team he worked with proved through research that lung development in premature infants could be treated with steroids. This led to a decreased mortality rate of premature infants.
Bob and Ilona had four amazing children and twelve incredible grandchildren. He loved education and challenged his kids constantly. The family would often read around the dinner table, and Bob's frequent selection was complicated pulmonary medical journals. He taught financial independence at an early age, helping the kids set up savings accounts at their earliest opportunity.
Bob is survived by his wife, Ilona Kotas of Plano, his daughter Nicole Young and her husband John Young and their children, Jack, Matt, and Heidi, his son Tim Kotas and his wife Lisa B. Kotas and their daughters Savannah and Olivia, his son Andrew Kotas and his wife Lisa K. Kotas and their sons Max, Will, and Gus, and his daughter Becky Moore and her husband Dod David Moore and their children, Justin, Bobby, Walt, and Clara Jane.
In lieu of flowers, contributions to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society would be appreciated.
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