Beloved Dr. Lucero passes

Ernest Lucero, M.D. passed away at his home unexpectedly on Saturday, Dec. 15. His wife was with him at the time.

Dr. Lucero was part of the medical community in Boundary County for more than 33 years.

Arriving in Bonners Ferry in 1971, he worked with Dr. Edwards as a physician’s assistant.

He left the community to continue his education and obtain a degree as a medical doctor from the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon completion of his degree, he returned to Bonners Ferry setting up a solo practice.

He discovered a love of medicine after he enlisted in the United States Navy as a hospital corpsman. That love of medicine became the driving force in his life, leading him through two tours in Vietnam helping sick and wounded marines, then on to a lifetime of service to the community of Boundary County.

Shortly before his death, he had joined Boundary Community Clinics in Bonners Ferry to free him from the cumbersome load of paperwork that accompanies a private practice.

The official date of joining the clinic was set for Jan. 1, 2013. He was eager to have more time to devote to his patients in the practice of medicine.

Boundary Community Hospital Administrator Craig Johnson expressed deep sympathy to the Lucero family.

“Dr. Lucero had a passion for medicine that was remarkable. He was a deeply caring person, brilliant, hard working, and optimistic. He will be missed very much.”

The transition of the practice will continue as planned. The Boundary Community Hospital Medical Staff will provide services to Dr. Lucero’s patients in the short term while an interim physician is located and put in place. In the long term, Boundary Community Clinics has already begun the search for a qualified primary-care physician who can step in to Dr. Lucero’s practice.

“Enough good things cannot be said about Ernie Lucero,” said Johnson. “His family, our community, our entire hospital family, and his patients have suffered a great loss. He was truly one of a kind and will not be forgotten.”

Lucero is survived by his wife, Carol.