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JOHN DAVIDSON CONSTABLE M.D.

JOHN CONSTABLE Obituary

CONSTABLE, John Davidson MD Of Sherborn, formerly of Cambridge, died peacefully at home June 6, 2016, age 88. Son of Olivia and William G. Constable of London, England. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Sylvia P. Constable, his daughters Isabel, Mia and Clair, son-in-laws: Bruce Struminger, David Alexander and Mogador Empson, grandchildren: Sylvia, Sophie and Giles Empson, John Mittermeier; and his brother Giles Constable. A Memoral service will be held in October. In lieu of flowers, gifts in memory of John may be made to the John D. Constable International Traveling Fellowship Fund which supports practicing foreign plastic surgeons on US medical study tours (http://www.aaps1921.org/awards-John-D-Constable.cgi). Contributions should be made payable to the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, 500 Cummings Center, Suite 4550, Beverly, MA 01915, USA; designated Constable Fund; and are tax deductible.

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Published by Boston Globe from Jun. 12 to Jun. 13, 2016.

Memories and Condolences
for JOHN CONSTABLE

16 Entries

Mashi

April 27, 2024

Dr.Constable and Sylvia were the two people who saved my life when I didn´t think I could be. I was a 6 year old when i suffered third degree burns to a majority of my body at the time. I am now a 27 year old, a navy sailor working in intelligence, and you can barely see my scar. I will never be the same, but to be loved is to be changed. My chest will never look normal, but Dr.Constable put his love, and attention to my wounds and a part of him will always live on in me. I hope to one day have the opportunity to visit his resting place myself, and tell him how much his touch impacted me, and where I am now because of it. Finding out he was also incredibly big into conservation made my heart grow that much more. Independant of him, that´s my ultimate dream; to establish sanctuaries in many different areas, create a home and safe space for every species around, including humans. I will never forget you Dr.Constable. I will carry your legacy with me always. I love you.

Toby S Hazel

May 17, 2023

Aloha Dr John Constable I never got to thank you for saving my daughters life many years ago
She was seriously burned and you were able to cheat death and give her a full and happy life. Thank u so much. Toby S Hazel

Carol Memishian

April 15, 2019

Dr. Constable operated on me, after my fiancé and I were in a
very bad auto accident....no seat belt, metal dashboard. He is the one and only doctor who could have repaired all the damage to
my head and face. He said he would not charge us for his services until after we were married. As long as he was invited to the wedding!

We have had a wonderful life and marriage for over 50 years.....

Yes, he came to the wedding, we could never, ever thank him
enough for the miraculous gift he gave us and our children.

God bless and keep you, dear Dr. Constable. You live in our hearts.

Carol Memishian
Greenwich, Ct.

Grace Leong Saturnia

November 10, 2018

I'm so saddened to discover of Dr. Constable's passing. We had been exchanging holiday cards since I was in my 20s. I can't believe I only found out now, over 2 years later. Dr. Constable was my surgeon when I was a child in 1968 and 1980. He had been friends with my parents and visited us several times in Hawaii. We visited him and his family in Maine and in Boston. I loved receiving his handwritten notecards over the years and hearing about his family and life. His intelligence, eloquence and love of life inspired me through out my life. I wish I had known sooner. My deepest sympathies. Aloha oe, Dr. Constable.

Retired Sgt Glenn Mann

November 19, 2017

My sincere condolences to Family, Friends and comrades! I'm sure John will be missed by all!
SECURITAS

December 29, 2016

I am so very sad to learn of Dr Constable's death. He was my surgeon in 1967, when I was severely burned at the age of 4. He saved my life numerous times, and did all my reconstructive procedures, and there were many. I was a small child, far away from home and family, often in tremendous pain. But Dr Constable was always kind and caring, and made me feel that I was in excellent hands. I will forever be grateful to him, and I cherish his memory. My condolences to his friend and family.
Dr. Lise Deguire

October 21, 2016

I was just a child when an accident smashed my nose.it was a horrific site.Dr.constable,fixed not only my apperance,but my ability to breath through my nose.i will be forever grateful thank you.

john leonard

September 30, 2016

He was wonderful man , a superb surgeon, and he gave many people a better life

Mary Lamey

September 14, 2016

Constable Family.

Dr. Constable performed many plastic surgical procedures on me, many years ago. I always be remember him as a very compassionate man.

My sincerest condolences.
Mary Lamey

Robert Hall

August 5, 2016

Dr. Constable performed many plastic surgical procedures on me when I was 3rd degree burned on 47% of my body in 1972. He not only did a fantastic job on reconstructing my face and hands, but he also performed many cosmetic operations on me that enabled me to reintegrate back into society a much easier process due to his gifted work. I will forever be indebted to him for his compassion toward me during this horrible ordeal. Rest in peace my Doctor and Friend.

Hilary Hopkins

August 5, 2016

Many, many years ago, I think about 1967 or 1968, my precious daughter, now deceased, then aged about 2 or 3 years, was involved in a bit of an accident when she and her big sister were playing. At the time we were visiting family in Denver; a doctor there stitched up my daughter's damaged finger, but suggested that we see another doctor back home in Cambridge. Our pediatrician recommended Dr. Constable. I will never forget his gentle, loving manner with my child, how carefully he examined her tiny finger, how reassuring he was not only to me but to my little girls, there in his office. I can still see it. This is such a small, small memory of a great, great man--but perhaps it just adds a little bit. I am so grateful for people like Dr. Constable--people who take their gift of life in this world truly seriously. May he rest peacefully. Many condolences to his family.

Bernie and Sue Pucker

July 1, 2016

John D. Constable was a dear friend, great lover of art, a humanitarian and a remarkably inquisitive man. His visits to our Gallery over the decades always sparkled by his openness to a wide range of works, eventually focusing on ceramics. A work had to be held, to be beautiful and to be useful. He always shared tales of his travels and his commitment to repairing people, medically and spiritually.

He is best described by these words from Brother Thomas, a ceramic artist and profound thinker:

The thing we all strive for is to shape our humanity in the image of God, to do good, stand up for what is true, create what is beautiful, and live for what unites and does not divide.

His life will serve as a guide to all!

Eric Chivian

June 30, 2016

I knew John, a close friend and mentor to me for more than 35 years. I trained at the Mass General Hospital, where John was a leading plastic surgeon and one of the most prominent and highly skilled burn surgeons in the world. So I knew him at the MGH by reputation. But I really got to know him through his efforts as part of the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, in which John was an active member. He wrote the chapter on treating burn injuries in our book Last Aid: The Medical Dimensions of Nuclear War, a chapter that had great influence, that showed the total impossibility of doctors coping with the aftermath of nuclear war.

John was a Renaissance Man, with many passionate interests and talents. He was a major naturalist with an enormous fund of knowledge, and would lead bird watching tours for large numbers of groups through Harvard's Museum of Comparative Zoology. He was the teacher and mentor of many of the most important burn surgeons practicing today in South East Asia. He was an inveterate world traveler, and an authority of its art and history, and how best to experience them. His tips about how to travel light are legendary. He was a connoisseur of fine food and wine and conversation, and brought to the table enormous wit, and a gracious, elegant, Old World style.

Most of all, he was enormously generous and available to all those who sought his wise counsel and his friendship.

He was one of a kind. I will miss him enormously.

Eric Chivian M.D.
Co-founder
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War
Winner, 1985 Nobel Peace Prize

Alfred E. Williams

June 14, 2016

I feel like an intruder in daring to leave a memory of Dr. Constable among those from others who knew him so much better than I, but somehow I think he wouldn't have objected. I have been in awe of him since our first meeting in 1989 when I joined the Speckled Band (Sherlock Holmes Society) of Boston, of which he served many years as the Keeper. At that first contact, Dr. Constable impressed me as typifying all the characteristics I associate with an old-world gentleman: integrity, kindness, gentleness, humility, humor and many more that I aspire to achieve some day. My only regrets at having met him are that I did not know him better, and that he is no longer with us to touch our lives and serve as an example to try to emulate. My heartfelt condolences to his family: he will be missed more, perhaps, than even you who knew him best realize.

Patricia Hunter

June 13, 2016

I worked for Dr. Constable many years ago. He was a brilliant man and a joy to work for. I've thought of him often over the years.

Steven

June 13, 2016

John really represented the best of Boston. In addition to his distinguished medical career, he donated his important collection of Vietnamese ceramics to the Museum of FIne Arts; he and his brother drove by car the entire way around the Mediterranean Sea in the 1950s; he led many tours to exotic destinations in Asia; he served as a top official in the Sherlock Holmes Society; and no doubt much more. He was a valued member of the Asian Art Society of New England, and I treasure the visits I had with Sylvia and John at their home along the Charles River in Sherborn.

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