Dr. Robert Leroy Waldron II

Dr. Waldron was a great friend, optimist, and gregarious storyteller. An active athlete, he loved tennis, skiing and golf. He was an avid college sports enthusiast and University of South Carolina Gamecocks football, baseball and basketball booster.

Dr. Waldron was a native of Illinois and attended high school in Rockford, where he was the Valedictorian of his class of more than 1,000 students and a member of the football and state championship basketball teams. He was a graduate of Princeton University, where he served as Vice President of his Senior Class, and Harvard Medical School. Following a surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, he served two years as a Peace Corps physician in Panama and Chile, before completing a residency in radiology and a fellowship in neuro radiology at Columbia Presbyterian.

He has been described by many as the consummate professional. Dr. Waldron worked as a radiologist in Cambridge, New York City, and San Luis Obispo, CA before coming to Columbia, SC in 1980 as the first radiologist specializing in neurological disorders. He served at Palmetto Health Richland Hospital as a Director of Radiology and as Professor of Clinical Radiology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine. Dr. Waldron served as the President of the Association of Columbia Presbyterian Radiologists, a member of the Sierra Cascade Trauma Society, and the South Carolina Radiological Society. He was the author or co-author of 32 scientific papers.

Survivors include his loving and devoted wife, partner, best friend, and advocate, Sandra S. Waldron; sons, Rick Waldron (Denise) of Portland, Oregon, Rob Waldron (Jennifer) of Wayland, Massachusetts and Burton Johnson (Jessica) of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; beloved 4-legged daughter, Natasha; grandchildren, Isabella, Olivia and James Ryan Waldron, and Luke Formiller; brothers, Gary and Steve Waldron and their families, Mary Waldron and her family, Sandy and Bob Dubin, Carterville/ Carbondale Illinois family members, brother-in-law, John Sellers and his family, Luisa Sermol and family, the Slemons family, along with numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and many, many cousins, as well as a host of friends, colleagues, co-workers, Radiology staff at Prisma, tennis buddies, “tea club” charter members, Kiawah friends, Beaufort friends, SCTS friends, Princeton classmates/clubmates, Harvard Medical School classmates, San Luis Obispo friends, and business associates.

In addition to his parents, Robert and Violet Mae Thompson Waldron, Dr. Waldron was predeceased by his son, Ryan Waldron.

The family would like to especially thank Byron Pyles, Billy Thomas, Annie Mae Gatson, and Gerald Salley along with the numerous physicians and medical staff at Prisma Richland who attended Dr. Waldron during his illness, as well as Dr. Alan Peterson.

Visitation will be from 6 until 8:00 p.m. Friday November 19, 2021 at Dunbar Funeral Home, 3926 Devine Street, Columbia, SC. A Celebration of Life will be held at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel on Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. To help ensure the health of attendees, the family asks all to wear face coverings.

Memorials may be made to the Ryan Waldron Scholarship Fund, Heathwood Hall, 3000 South Beltline, Columbia, SC; Trenholm Road United Methodist Church, 3401 Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC 29204 or a charity of your choice.

Memories may be shared at www.dunbarfunerals.com.