Dr. Webb gave more than he took
The name on his birth certificate was Dale Flemming Webb but all his friends just called him Dale.
He was born and raised in the Yuma Valley, graduated from Yuma High in 1948 and sought higher education at the University of Arizona. With a degree in pharmacy, he came back to Yuma but was not satisfied rolling pills — he wanted to prescribe them.
The next 13 or 14 years were spent studying to be the best physician/surgeon that he could be. The Hippocratic Oath set forth an ethical code for Dr. Webb, and his moral standards would make him one of the most respected and best-loved doctors in Yuma. The love of his profession and the support of his family drove him to achieve the highest recognition in the medical field.
Besides medicine, Dr. Webb enjoyed the outdoors, reading, going to the movies and an active church life. As a native Yuman, he saw lots of changes and growth and he took advantage of several opportunities to invest in land.
His childhood friend and prominent valley farmer Burnis Williams was his adviser and trusted hunting and fishing buddy. I always enjoyed the stories about who caught the biggest fish or shot the elk with the most points.
Dr. Webb lived life, loved life and gave back more than he took. His kindness and generosity will be remembered, as will his skill and dedication to saving lives.
As the shadows of life grow longer and the sunset is nigh, we reflect back on our own time here and we find comfort in the book of Job, Chapter 14:
“Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble...
“He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: He fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not...
“Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with Thee, Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass...
“For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again and that the tender branch thereof will not cease...
“If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.”
Jim Slater
Yuma
