DR. PETER JOHN GOMATOS

GOMATOS, Dr. Peter John 83, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida died unexpectedly on Saturday, June 23, 2012 in San Diego, California. Dr. Gomatos, the son of the late John T. and Agnes Gomatos, was born in Cambridge, MA. He graduated from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then received his M.D. from John Hopkins University School of Medicine. After serving as a Medical Officer in the United States Navy, Dr. Gomatos earned his PhD from Rockefeller University. Dr. Gomatos was a prominent molecular virologist and Infectious Disease physician. Dr. Gomatos discovered the presence of double-stranded RNA in nature. This landmark discovery increased our understanding of viruses and led to the development of strategies to treat diseases caused by viruses. As Chief of the Division of Animal Virology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute of Research, Dr. Gomatos continued to conduct seminal research in virology. He later joined the US Army Medical Corps as an Infectious Disease physician and worked at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and at other military bases around the country during which time he rose to the rank of Colonel. Dr. Gomatos also worked at NIH and served as a consultant to a number of medical agencies including the West Palm Beach Health Department, the Naval Research Unit-3 in Egypt and the Veterans Administration. Dr. Gomatos was committed to providing the best medical care to active duty soldiers and veterans and continued to do so until the day he died. Dr. Gomatos led a full and vigorous life and had many varied interests. He was a forward thinker, a great friend to people of many cultures and generations, a respected colleague and superb role model to all who knew him. He was a steward at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Dr. Gomatos was a passionate lover of opera and fine art and an avid fan of Boston sports teams, especially the Red Sox. He is survived by his sisters Elaine Bucuvalas, Poppy Stamatos and her husband Reverend Milton Stamatos, brother-in-law John Lavrakas, sister-in-law Mary Gomatos, many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his brother Theophilus Gomatos and sister Catherine Lavrakas. Funeral Service on Saturday, June 30 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Cross Seminary Chapel, 50 Goddard Ave., Brookline, MA. Visitation one hour prior to Service from 9:30am to 10:30am in the chapel. Interment Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. Memorial donations may be sent to The Gomatos Reading Room Fund at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia or to the Archbishop Iakovos Library Fund at Hellenic College in Brookline, Mass. Arrangements by Faggas Funeral Home, 551 Mt. Auburn St, Watertown, MA 02472. For online guestbook please visit www.faggas.com Faggas Funeral Home 800-222-2586