With memorial services being held today, Friday and Saturday for Dr. Eleuterio Acosta, Jr., colleagues of the county”s only practicing urologist were still stunned and saddened by his death March 10.
Dr. Paula Donda, the current Chief of Staff at Redbud Hospital, said “It was a total shock. In fact, he did surgery last Wednesday (Mar 7), and he seemed fine. We didn”t know the extent of his illness.
“I was told when I went into the operating room Monday. My heart goes out to his family. He is going to be missed. Dr. Acosta was an excellent surgeon and specialist, and he was well-respected in the community,” Dr. Donda said. Donda was Chief of Surgery two years ago when Acosta was recruited to Clearlake to join the staff, and she recalled “He was very good at what he did, and he was very dedicated to his patients.”
Chief of Surgery Dr. Tim Young said, “Dr. Acosta was highly recruited when he came here. I didn”t know him well, but I know he was highly respected and well-liked. I saw him on occasion in the building, and I recall him in surgery last week. Clearly, this was a shock.”
Redbud Hospital Vice President and CEO Terry Hansen said, “As the only urologist in Lake County, Dr. Acosta served the community well in an important specialty area. He was a well-respected clinician, and he was a strong advocate for his patients. He went about his work in a quiet, competent and professional way. He will be greatly missed.”
In a released statement from the hospital, Dr. Acosta”s wife, Carmelita, said “Foremost in his mind was the care for his patients. He was a deeply conscientious doctor, and no matter how many hours it took, he devoted himself to his patient”s needs.”
Carmelita Acosta noted that her husband enjoyed reading and had numerous books on medicine, history and world cultures. She also said Dr. Acosta traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and the United States.
According to a hospital press release, Acosta was born in Manila, Philippines, and he graduated from Manila Central University in Caloocan City in 1967. After five years of general practice in the Philippines, Acosta came to the states, settling in the New York area to perform his internships and residencies.
Board Certified in Urology in 1989, Acosta practiced in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Wisconsin, prior to coming to California. In two years at Redbud, he practiced General Urology, in which he treated patients medically and surgically for conditions of the kidneys, bladder and prostate, and treatment of stone disease.
Dr. Acosta is survived by his wife Carmelita; three daughters Elizabeth, Elaine and Elvira; a son Eleuterio III; four brothers and four sisters. According to the press release, all of Dr. Acosta”s brothers are also doctors, while his four sisters became nurses.
This afternoon, the Acosta family has scheduled a viewing, including a eulogy service at Skyview Memorial Lawn in Vallejo. Friday, a funeral mass will be held for Dr. Acosta, also at Skyview, and on Saturday, a local memorial service will be held at Clearlake”s Queen of Peace Church with Father Ron Serban officiating.
