DR. Rynol A. Dahlman; Retired Physician

Dr. Rynol A. (Duke) Dahlman, a longtime general practitioner in Van Nuys, has died at a Palm Desert hospital. He was 78.

A former Sherman Oaks resident, Dahlman died Thursday of complications of Alzheimer’s disease, said his son, Bill Dahlman of Studio City.

A native of Nebraska, Dahlman was attending the University of Nebraska when he came to Los Angeles to attend the 1932 Olympics and never returned. He completed his undergraduate work at UCLA and went to the USC School of Medicine, completing an internship at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in 1939.

During World War II, he served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, supervising a 300-bed hospital in the Philippines. After he was discharged, Dahlman established his medical practice in Van Nuys in 1945.

Dahlman was a past member of the board of directors of Valley Hospital Medical Center in Van Nuys and was active in its expansion in the 1960s and 1970s. Upon his retirement in 1987, Dahlman moved to Palm Desert.

In addition to his son, Bill, Dahlman is survived by his wife of 54 years, Alice Dahlman; sons Dr. Tony Dahlman of Seal Beach and Rye Dahlman of Toluca Lake; daughter Kris Manning of Alamo, Calif.; brother Harold Dahlman of Riverside County; and eight grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for today at 2:30 p.m. at the Old North Church at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills. Forest Lawn Mortuary, Hollywood Hills, is handling the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dahlman’s name to the Alzheimer’s Assn.