Martinez physician didn’t let disability come between him and his work

DR. KENT HOBERT had a rare combination of skill, compassion, and dedication to his profession and his community — traits his friends, family and colleagues said never wavered after he became paralyzed from the chest down in 1983.

“He was so determined,” said his widow Nancy Hobert, when asked about her husband of 61 years. “I think his legacy is how he showed people the kind of quality life somebody in a wheelchair can have, and what it can be like.”