Obituary

Kevin Emil Bove, M.D., age 89, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle, passed away surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with cancer, on October 25, 2024 at his home in Hyde Park, Cincinnati, Ohio. Kevin was born in Buffalo, NY on October 5th, 1935 to Dr. Emil Joseph Bove and Jesse Bove (née Constantine). He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years Nancy (née Eckert), his three children Stephen, Renee Phibbs (Chris), and Allison Schamach (Barry), his sister Karen Bove, his brother Emil Jospeh Bove II, Esq. (Lyn), his grandson Jack Phibbs, his aunt Muriel Constantine, his nephews Emil Joseph Bove III, Esq. (Sarah Samis) and USN Commander Vincent Bove (Tina Struble), great niece Myra Bove, great nephew Jack Bove and life-long best friends USN Admiral Cameron Frasier and Dr. David Fleischer. He was predeceased by his mother, father, sister Demetre Bove and his uncles Dr. Anthony Constantine, Dr. Leonard Constantine, and Dr. Herbert Constantine. Growing up in Seneca Falls, NY (often cited as the model setting for perennial favorite Christmas film "It's a Wonderful Life"), in the household of a prominent physician, Kevin was surrounded by respect for the practice of medicine and the importance of higher education and science. Three of his mother's brother's were also MDs, so, it's not surprising that from an early age, Kevin was committed to pursuing a career in medicine. After catholic grade school, he attended Mynderse Academy, a highly respected public high school within walking distance of his family's home. There he was class President, Salutatorian, co-editor of the school newspaper, and upon graduation, winner of a four year NY State regents scholarship and the Bausch & Lomb science award. He chose to attend Colgate University where he received a four year Colgate Alumni Memorial Scholarship. At Colgate he was president of his fraternity (Phi Kappa Tau), graduated Magna Cum Laude and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society in 1957. After a whirlwind European tour, he enrolled in the University of Buffalo's medical school, where his father and three uncles had earned their MDs. He was President of his medical school class and graduated in 1961. During a rotating internship and residency in Pathology at Cincinnati's General Hospital he met his wife Nancy on a double date (she was a freshly minted microbiologist working at U.C., and the other gent's partner!), and oh how things soon changed! After marrying and being blessed with their first two of three children, they moved to Washington, D.C, where from 1966-1968, he served in the Army Medical Corps as a Captain and Asst. Chief, Anatomical Pathology at Walter Reed Hospital. In 1968 he accepted a position as a staff Pathologist working for Dr. James McAdams, in the nascent field of Pediatric Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). Back in Cincinnati, he and Nancy moved into the wonderful home in Hyde Park where they would raise their family and where he lived until his final hours. Working with a small collegial team under Dr. McAdams, he thrived, earning admission to the Sigma Chi scientific research honor society in 1966 and a full professorship in Pathology and Pediatrics at U.C. College of Medicine in 1975. Through constant daily participation in clinical practice reviewing and diagnosing many thousands of cases, he played a significant role in establishing Pediatric Pathology as a recognized international medical specialty. He was lead or co-author of over 220 peer-reviewed papers published in major medical journals, played critical roles in developing effective diagnostics and treatments for Reye's syndrome and Wilms' tumor, was elected President of the Society for Pediatric Pathology, and served tirelessly on numerous committees and editorial boards. He was interim-director of the Department of Pathology at CCHMC for four years from 1995-1999. Through his final days, he never retired, becoming the oldest and longest serving active member of the CCHMC medical staff (55+ years) and collaborating until the end with fellow physicians on novel solutions for rare and complex pediatric disorders. Most important to him throughout his career was teaching medical students, interns, residents and fellows, and the open collaboration and friendship he enjoyed with a spectacular group of inspiring and compassionate medical mentors and peers that included Dr. Edward L. Pratt, Dr. Edward Gall, Dr. Clark West, Dr. Samuel Kaplan, Dr. James Ballard, Dr. James Heubi, Dr. William Balistreri, Dr. John Buchino, Dr. Milton Finegold, Dr. David Witte, Dr. Daniel Lovell, and Dr. Sarangarajan Ranganathan, to name but a few. In his private life, Kevin loved to travel the world with Nancy, often combining his busy guest lecture and conference schedule with side trips to beautiful historical locations in Europe and North America. He loved sailing, driving sporty cars (often convertibles), making and drinking fine wine, being present every night for jovial family dinners, cultivating elaborate beds of dahlias, tea roses, hydrangeas and heirloom tomatoes in his garden, and supporting cultural institutions like the Cincinnati Symphony & Pops Orchestras, The Cincinnati Art Museum, the Ohio Society (rural land preservation, ecology and farming), and The English Speaking Union. He was a long-time member of the Cincinnati Country Club, a serious Bengals and UC Football fan, and loved visiting his kids, all of whom lived the majority of their adult lives in San Francisco, which inevitably involved fun-filled vacations on the shores of Lake Tahoe or in the beautiful wine country of Sonoma and Napa. A mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday November 9, 10:30 A.M., at St. Rose of Lima Church, 2501 Riverside Dr, Cincinnati, OH 45202. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Children's Hospital Foundation a 501(c)(3) organization that benefits Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC). www.springgrove.org