Robert Stetzel was a native of Fort Wayne, IN and the founder of Stetzel Dental Group. Dr. Stetzel is an alumnus of Indiana University and the IU School of Dentistry (DDS ’53). He founded Stetzel Dental Group in 1956.

As an Indiana Dental Association president who lived to see his own son assume the organization’s same leadership a generation later, his presidency of the organization was based on a foundation of clinical excellence. He was a widely-respected clinician and mentor to all.

Dr. Stetzel was a beloved dentist and doting husband. His leadership skills were developed as a commander in the United States Navy, where he served as a dentist in Japan in the Korean War. He was a proud member of the Isaac Knapp District Dental Society, where he served as president and a founding charter member of the Society’s Foundation for Education.

He received the IU School of Dentistry’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1988, an honor that recognized his early efforts as a part-time teacher in both Indianapolis and Fort Wayne at the IPFW Dental Hygiene Program.

Dr. Stetzel served the Fort Wayne community as a Past President of the Anthony Wayne Rotary Club and as a member of the Optimist Club.

He was an avid IU fan, loved playing tennis with his wife Boots, and he enjoyed golfing and flying his plane. Above all else, Dr. Stetzel loved time spent with his family – His pride in his wife Boots, two sons Eric and Mark, his daughters-in-law Janis and Laura, and his granddaughters Jill, Kayla, and Leah, were evident to all who know him.

Dr. Stetzel is missed dearly by his beloved family and his cherished patients who often comment on his gentle nature, his contagious laugh, and his uncanny ability to make a trip to the dentist enjoyable.