Victor F. Greco M.D.

1927 - 2022

One of Pennsylvania's most respected physician leaders and medical pioneers, Victor F. Greco, M.D. passed away Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022.

Devoted husband and father, dedicated surgeon, leader, orator, visionary, developer, author, teacher and businessman sums up this Renaissance man.

General and Thoracic Surgeon Victor F. Greco, M.D. was born in Hazleton in 1927, remembered by many for the jaunty driving cap, entertaining license plates, and the ever-present flower in his lapel, will be sorely missed not only by his family but by thousands of physicians and patients for whom he cared and advocated throughout his lifetime.

Known to many simply as "Doc," Dr. Greco's significant contributions to modern surgery, health care policy at both the state and national levels, medical education, and countless causes in the community in which he lived and worked were dwarfed by his love for his family.

While Dr. Greco was honored with many titles throughout his professional career from Deputy Secretary of Health to the president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, those who knew Dr. Greco best were always aware that the titles which meant the most to him were "husband" and "father."

Dr. Greco is survived by his wife of 70 years, Mary Jean Yackshaw Greco R.N.; six highly successful children, Dr. Victor F. Greco Jr., Miami, Fla.; Mary Jean Greco, Cocoa Beach, Fla.; Thomas J. Greco, Wilkes-Barre; Dr. Joan Greco, Waiema, Hawaii; Dr. Richard J. Greco, Savannah, Georgia; and Robert T. Greco, Harveys Lake, as well as 11 grandchildren, all of whom have been longtime beneficiaries of his wisdom, compassion, generosity and love.

"No matter how busy he was, we always knew that Dad would have time for us," says eldest daughter Mary Jean Greco. "Whether our problems were big or small, he always showed support and gave the best advice. We will miss all that."

Although Dr. Greco retired from 30 years of groundbreaking medical practice in the Greater Hazleton area in 1986, he continued to support quality health care in Pennsylvania as a key health care policymaker and watchdog. As Deputy Secretary of Health, Dr. Greco impacted how doctors and hospitals provided care throughout the Commonwealth and as chairman of the State Board of Medicine he was responsible for making sure that medical professionals in Pennsylvania met the highest standard of quality care and ethics.

As president of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, an organization he supported for more than 50 years, many as a member of the board of trustees, Dr. Greco spearheaded a continuing physician effort to deal with the Commonwealth's myriad of medical liability concerns and fought vigorously for patient's rights and the doctor-patient relationship. Later, he continued his advocacy of the physician's and patients as Chairman of the Pennsylvania delegation to the American Medical Association and served as a leader of the Pennsylvania Medical Society's medical liability insurance carrier PMSLIC and on the board of the society's political action committee, PAMPAC.

Dr. Greco's contributions to quality health care extended far beyond the Commonwealth's borders as he brought his expertise and experience to national groups, including the Advisory Council to the Director of the National Institute of Health (NIC), as well as serving as Pennsylvania's only representative on President Bill Clinton's National Health Board. With fellow colleagues at the NIC, Dr. Greco allocated funding for important medical research and helped to develop a telephone-based system called "Information Line" to provide the latest medical information to physicians - a groundbreaking idea and extremely valuable tool in the pre-internet days in the 1970's, when it might take years for new techniques and information to filter down to actively practicing physicians. He also served on a Medical Reform Advisory Committee for former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Some of Dr. Greco's most significant contributions to medicine occurred while he was still in training when he was personally involved in some of modern surgery's most groundbreaking moments. As a surgical resident at Jefferson Medical College in the early 1950s, young Dr. Greco was involved in both the development of the first heart-lung machine and the first successful open-heart surgery, as well as development of the first prototype cancer screening clinic in the nation.

As one of heart surgery's pioneers and a highly respected young physician, Dr. Greco could have practice medicine anywhere, but he and his wife of four years, the former Mary Jean Yackshaw, R.N., whom he'd met in an operating room, elected to come home to Hazleton to practice medicine and raise their young family.

As Hazleton's first fully university-trained surgeon, Dr. Greco brough a level of surgery to local hospitals which had never been available in the area, and he was one of the busiest surgeons in Northeast Pennsylvania throughout his career. During 30 years of practice, he shared his clinical expertise, leadership, and love of medicine as chief of surgery for both St. Joseph's Medical Center and Hazleton's State General Hospital, medical staff president for St. Joseph's Medical Center, medical director of State Hospital's Chronic Pulmonary Disease Clinic, an adjunct professor of clinical medicine for King's College, a surgical consultant for Coaldale Hospital, Berwick Hospital, and the White Haven State School and Hospital, and was instrumental in the development of the physicians' assistant training program at King's College in Wilkes-Barre.

A proud World War II Army veteran, Dr. Greco also served as an attending physician for the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Wilkes-Barre and was appointed professor of surgery at the Commonwealth Medical College.

During his years in practice, Dr. Greco made additional contributions to Pennsylvania's health as a consultant for comprehensive health planning for the Commonwealth, a member of the Advisory Commission to the Governor for anthracosilicosis and lung related problems, a member of the Health and Hospital Planning Council for Northeastern PA, the Pennsylvania Cancer Control, Prevention and Research Board, a surgical consultant for Pennsylvania Blue Shield, the board of trustees for the White Haven State School and Hospital, and a health policy advisor to Congressman Paul Kanjorski.

Dr. Greco authored and co-authored numerous articles about heart surgery, cancer and other surgical procedures in leading surgical journals, and most recently wrote a book about prostate surgery following his own experience with the disease.

Despite the amount of time Dr. Greco spent with his family, practice, patients and other health-related activities, he was always committed to "giving back" to his community, and somehow found time to serve as a district governor for Rotary and numerous positions for Rotary International, one of his favorite service organizations. Dr. Greco lent his medical and fundraising expertise to many other area organizations as well, including WVIA Public Television, the Hazleton Area Heart Association, the Greater Hazleton Area Cancer Fund, the Visiting Nurses Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Keystone Job Corp Center, the Red Cross, and the Boy Scouts of America.

Over the years, community organizations showed their gratitude for Dr. Greco's support by showering him with honors, including the Hazleton Jaycee's Outstanding Young Man of the Year Award and a scholarship at the Hazleton Campus of Penn State established in his honor by the Rotary Club. Lackawanna Community College not only established the "Victor F. Greco, M.D. Humanitarian of the Year Award" to honor "an outstanding citizen that exemplifies deep community service and involvement," but also named the "Victor F. Greco, M.D. Administrative Building" in honor of his accomplishments and service. Additionally, in 2012, he was the recipient of the UNICO National Marconi Science Award, which is presented to a U.S. Citizen of Italian descent involved in the physical sciences who exemplifies Marconi's vast scientific and creative accomplishments through their own life's achievements.

In recent years, Dr. Greco continued to develop real estate in two premier areas, Country Club Estates and Country Club Estates South, other business ventures with his children and wife. He spent his winter months with his wife in Aventura, Florida, loved to lecture on cruise ships that traveled and saw the whole world, and mastered the internet to keep in touch with his family and latest developments in health care. Among his most beloved activities were the periodic family trips that he and his wife would enjoy with all their children and grandchildren, all 25 of them, family events and continuing to participate in organized medicine as one of its most experienced and respected voices.

Dr. Greco graduated from Hazleton High School in 1944 and the University of Scranton in 1947, completing his Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude in only six semesters, a record that still stands in Jesuit universities. He received his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1951, attaining medical education's highest honor, membership in Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, in his junior year, only one of six chosen from the entire class. Following an internship at Philadelphia General Hospital, he completed his surgical residency in general and thoracic surgery, along with a fellowship in cancer research at Jefferson Medical College and Hospital in 1956.

In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Greco is survived by grandchildren, Victor F. Greco III, Baltimore, Md.; attorney Eric J. Greco, Haddonfield, N.J.; Melissa Golomb, Washington State; Cannon and Victoria Greco-Hiranaka, Waiema, Hawaii; Dr. Richard Y. Greco, Wall, N.J.; attorney Blake Greco, Savannah, Ga.; Apryl Lee, R.N., Savannah, Ga.; Dean Greco, Atlanta, Ga.; Robert T. Greco Jr., Harveys Lake; and Anthony T. Greco, Harveys Lake.

The viewing will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, in Good Shepherd Church, Route 309, Drums, with a Mass at 11 a.m.. Interment will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Drums.