Dr. Gerald Sandler

1927 - 2020

Dr. Gerald Sandler passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 25 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He was born on August 21, 1927 in New York City to Dr. Morris Sandler and Ruth Frimitt Sandler and raised in Brooklyn. During World War II his father volunteered for service and was stationed at various military hospitals in the South. Thus began his Southern connection. Jerry attended Vanderbilt University (Nashville) in 1944 and then received his Medical Degree from Tulane University (New Orleans) in 1950. He did his internship and residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. In December of 1954 he married Charlotte Weiner, a fact celebrated by his Brooklyn Dodgers finally winning the World Series. After serving two years in the Air Force in Rome, NY, he and Charlotte settled in Willimantic, CT and opened his medical practice. The family expanded in 1961 with the additions of sons Morrie and Bruce and in 1966 when son E. Mark was born. The practice also expanded in 1964 when Jerry was joined by his brother Melvin, and in 1968 when Luther Gibson completed the partnership known as Sandler, Sandler and Gibson. Through his forty years of medical practice in Willimantic he and his partners took care of and brought into this world a large part of the Willimantic/Storrs community. Upon fully retiring in 1998, he devoted his time to maintaining the grounds of his home in Windham Center, following the exploits of the many teams he supported and delighting in the many championships they achieved. His favorite activity was supporting and volunteering at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. Throughout his life he served on several medical boards. He was a charter member and past president of the Greater Hartford OBGYN Society founded by Dr David Nochimson. He and David went on to have a long and wonderful friendship cemented by discussions about medicine, sports, and history. Jerry and Charlotte moved to Nashville in December of 2019. He was predeceased by his parents and his brother, Melvin. He leaves his wife, Charlotte and sons Morrie (New Orleans), Bruce (NYC), Mark and his partner Jason Counce (Nashville). In addition to his immediate family, he is survived by his sister-in-law Ann Sandler and her children Howard, Mark, Paula and Richard and his former medical partner and very dear friend Dr. Luther Gibson and his wife Joan. In lieu of flowers donations in his memory can be made to the Gerald and Charlotte Sandler Educational Fund, Goodspeed Opera House, 6 Main Street, East Haddam, CT, 06423