Edwin James Gregory

Edwin J. Gregory, O.D., passed away on September 26th, 2023. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary Ellen, and his five children, Maura Burton, Fran Gregory and her husband Brian, Ed Gregory, Ellen Cherry and her husband Carlos, Betsy Wilson, and his son-in-law, Colin Murphy. His daughter, Peggy Murphy, passed away in 2014. Additionally, he is survived by his 11 grandchildren, Brent Burton, Courtney Burton, Allie Wozny and her husband Hunter, Megan Gregory, Nate Gregory, Farrell Gregory, Bridget Gregory, Katie Wilson, Brendan Wilson, Declan Wilson, and Padraig Murphy.

Ted, as he was known to family and friends, was born in Washington DC, and raised in Chevy Chase, MD. In his high school years, his love of jazz and the piano led him to play in an 18-piece big band throughout multiple music venues in DC, West Virginia, and Delaware.

At the age of 18, he was drafted by the Army and served in WWII for over a year. His specialty was radio transmitting, coding, and recoding.

He completed his undergrad degree in 1952 graduating from Loyola College in Baltimore. In 1955, Ted went on to earn his doctorate from Penn State College of Optometry. For many years, he practiced in Baltimore City on Cathedral Street in Mount Vernon before moving the practice to his home in Brooklandville, MD.

Towards the end of his long-standing career, he sold his practice to Azman Eye Associates. In 2015, he retired after 60 years of practice. At the time of his retirement, his patient numbers may have dwindled, but those who still saw him knew they'd receive the most thorough eye care from their several-hour appointment with Dr. Gregory.

Dr. Gregory was also a member of the Towson Exchange Club, the Towson Ancient Order of Hibernians AOH3, and the Paint and Powder Club of Baltimore. As avid tennis players, he and Mary Ellen were members of the Roland Run Club for many years and were always up for a game of doubles.

Surrounding himself with his family gave him the most joy. Whether it was a ski trip, a special grandkids trip to a museum in DC, a trip to Utz Potato Chips, a getaway with Mary Ellen to enjoy time with their lifelong friends (known as the "Dirty Dozen"), or the annual Gregory beach trip, where his children and grandchildren meant 20+ people gathered at Bethany Beach for dinner and late-night shenanigans, Ted was all smiles.

A mass celebrating his life will be held Saturday, September 30th at 11 a.m. at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Mount Washington.