Lyle Larosh
It is unfortunate that we must report the passing of our President, Lyle LaRosh due to an unusual and unfortunate accident. A Celebration of Life cruise was held in his honor June 3rd, 2021.
Lyle was a successful businessman widely recognized in the community and worked tirelessly on fund-raising events:
- Board of Trustees of the Boys Club
- Founded and organized the U.S. Tuna Industry Golf Tournament for 20 years
- Old Mission Beach Athletic Club. Originated the Junior Over the Line Tournament
- Member of Leukemia Society
- Originated “Nice Guys” Service Club charity organization
- President of Informed Prostate Cancer Support Group since 2000
Our organization would not be in existence were it not for Lyle’s efforts to properly organize and develop the Informed Prostate Cancer Support Group (IPCSG) into what it is today—a widely recognized and helpful means for men with prostate cancer (PCa) to learn how best to deal with the disease.
When Lyle was first diagnosed in 2000, he attended a meeting of a small group that was organized in 1990 by Wayne Kenaston Jr. & Frank Anders, PhD. They met in a kitchen in Spring Valley. He once told me he took 16 pages of notes from which he began to further develop and organize (IPCSG). He established a non-profit organization and began having meetings in a church in the Grantville area where about 20-30 men met to exchange ideas and learn about dealing with our disease. Occasionally professional medical specialists spoke to the group. As the group grew, he made arrangements to move the meetings to a larger facility at Moore’s Cancer Center at UCSD. We began advertising and had more medical professionals speak about our disease. The attendance continued to grow. Again, Lyle made arrangements for our group to meet at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Institute in the auditorium which has 134 seats where we have met since 2011. We have never paid rent at any of our meeting places, thanks to his recognition in the community. Our average attendance at this facility has grown to 60-90 men, spouses and significant others and our membership listing has grown to nearly 900.
Lyle developed many medical professional relationships that came to recognize the value of what we do. These include A.J. Mundt MD. Chair of Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences at UCSD and Richard Lam MD of Prostate Cancer Specialists who speak to us every year to keep us informed of latest developments related to our disease. When they speak, the audience sometimes overflows the seating. The national organization Prostate Cancer Research Institute awarded Lyle the Harry Pinchot National Patients Advocacy Award for Prostate Cancer for 2009. He was instrumental in successfully nominating me for that award in 2014.
A staff of unpaid volunteers eventuated, that helped develop a library which is set up at each meeting, advertising, tri-page brochures and a monthly newsletter. A very good website www.ipcsg.org has been developed that provides very useful notices and helpful information.
Respectfully submitted by Gene Van Vleet, Director
Here is a link to one of the Harbor excursions that personified Lyle’s life.