Allen Goorin M.D.

Allen Goorin M.D., 70, of Jamaica Plain, formerly of Newton, MA and Pennsylvania, passed peacefully on April 14, 2017. He was the beloved husband of Linda Goorin, father to Amy Fogelman and her husband Matthew, and to Laura Goorin and her fianc Darren Critz; grandfather to Ella and Lily Fogelman and Regan Critz; brother-in-law to Roz Goorin; and relative and comrade to many more. Family always came first for Allen. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with loved ones, telling stories, laughing, being on Marthas Vineyard with Linda, and watching his granddaughters dance. But family was not his only passion. Allen was a beloved pediatrician and pediatric oncologist to thousands of children, both healthy and sick. He was a general pediatrician at Longwood Pediatrics, where he treated babies to 20-somethings (and their parents) with his intelligence, compassion, and charm. Allen also ran the Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) Program at The Dana Farber in Boston, caring for many children and teens with the disease over the course of his career. He was instrumental and a driving force in probably the most important Osteosarcoma study showing that adjuvant chemotherapy was effective in improving survival of Osteosarcoma patients. In the late 1970s, the use of chemotherapy was in unchartered waters and the undertaking of a randomized study was controversial, yet necessary. Allens courageous leadership helped it to happen. The results of that study have changed the treatment of this type of cancer forever and have saved countless lives. The dramatic improvement in survival has really not been increased since. Born in Beaver Falls, PA on April 18, 1946, Allen was the son of the late George and Ida Goorin, and brother to the late Stanley. He graduated from Washington and Jefferson in 1968, Pittsburgh Medical School in 1972, and did a pediatric internship in Philadelphia. He and Linda then spent two years in Fort Defiance, Arizona, working with the Navajo tribe in the Public Health Service. He did residency at Childrens Hospital and a fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Allen was a renaissance man with a quest for life. He was fearless and self-taught in countless endeavors. Among his many interests were: running, cycling, wind-surfing, skiing, softball (his team never won but they had the most fun, until they were asked to leave the league due to lack of talent), movies, jazz music, the Celtics, the Red Sox, and trips abroad with Linda. He made the most delicious fruit bowls in the morning for his children. Allen was a sweet soul, incredibly kind, and a friend to anyone who crossed his path. To know him was to love him, and he loved you back. Friends and family are invited to his funeral on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m at Temple Beth Shalom, 670 Highland Avenue, Needham followed by burial at Newton Cemetery, 791 Walnut Street, Newton. People are welcome to visit at Amy and Matts home following the interment until 6:00 p.m., and also on Wednesday and Thursday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Donations may be in Allens memory to the Huntingtons Disease Society of America http://hdsa.org. Arrangements by The Brezniak-Rodman Funeral Directors, Newton 617-969-0800.