Not long after moving back, Dr. Urbach met his wife Sherrie on a blind date. She was teaching school in Southern Indiana and finishing an education degree at Indiana University.

“ I’ d go over and pick her up in New Albany on the weekends. I liked her right from the start,” he remembered. The two were married in 1956 and would have three children together, and then three grandchildren. Sherrie Urbach died in March of this year, just shy of their 60 year anniversary.

In his practice, Dr. Urbach worked solo for years. When he finally got a partner, he realized it wasn’ t so bad.“ I liked having a partner actually. I got up on Saturday and didn’ t have to go anywhere. It felt funny. Then we hired a second partner and moved to the outpatient center at Jewish,” he said.

“ The practice got nasty. I was fighting to get a patient in the hospital, to keep him in the hospital, and fighting the insurance company to get paid. I’ d win almost every battle, but I was still going home angry. Some of the pleasure was taken out. But, I know it’ s gotten worse since I left.”

The University of Louisville, where he’ d previously been part of the volunteer faculty, offered Dr. Urbach a full time job in 1993. He would stay through 2008 before retiring.

Retirement did not mean he stopped working. Music came back into Dr. Urbach’ s life, and he began playing French horn again as well as trumpet. He’ s performed in several bands over the years and currently plays in two, one of which is a klezmer band playing Eastern European Jewish jazz music.

“ I’ m older now and the music skills don’ t come as easy as they used to. But I practice every day. I’ m holding up pretty well. I’ m working hard at it,” he laughed.

Another focus in recent years was training in the addiction-treatment medication Suboxone. Dr. Urbach has earned the DEA license needed to prescribe narcotics. Through his work at the VA and a spell as the physician for the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, he has almost 100 patients currently being treated.

At the VA, Dr. Urbach works one weekend each month to relieve regular attendings.

“ I treat everything there. The US government encouraged cigarette smoking and drinking in the military, so we see the 30 to 40 year results of that: lots of lung cancer, COPD, alcoholism, liver diseases.”

He remains active with the University as well, teaching classes from year to year. Last semester, he taught two courses in Problem Based Learning and Physical Diagnosis.

Dr. Urbach has given much to Kentucky and to the US, and made the most out of anything life has thrown his way. The fact that, to this day, he is still healing and educating others is a testament to his love of helping those in need.

“ There’ s still a tremendous reward in teaching and seeing the lights go on in students’ heads. I’ m an older guy, but I still like being a doctor. I enjoy my fellow veterans at the VA, I like treating addiction and teaching students,” he said.“ I just try to keep learning.”

Aaron Burch is the communications specialist for the Greater Louisville Medical Society.

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