Harold A. "Hal" Just

Harold Just, a surgeon specializing in urology in the Boston area for more than 50 years, passed away January 31, 2026 just shy of his 91st birthday.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York to Ada and Abel Just, he was raised in a home filled with love, education and humor. He and a small group of mischievous friends explored their neighborhood and formed lifelong friendships. His fondness for practical jokes and classical music were inherited from his father and his outgoing, gregarious personality derived from his mother. The boys often included Hal's only sibling, younger sister, Barbara, to join in the fun, such as playing pranks on patient yet unsuspecting neighbors or taking secret trips to Coney Island.

A graduate of Brooklyn's Lincoln High School, he was a serious student and competitive swimmer, a sport his parents found curious. In one especially long distance race his protective mother cried out from the pool's viewing stands "that's enough, get him out of there!" In teenage summers, he enjoyed working as a counselor and a waiter at camps in the Catskills, a break from the city's summer heat.

Columbia was his next stop for studies and swimming. He was a member of ZBT fraternity and relished the Columbia experience and camaraderie in Morningside Heights and the class of 1956. He focused on his pre-medical course work but throughout his life he quoted from the core curriculum courses in literature and philosophy that he enjoyed so much.

Hal graduated from NYU medical school in 1960. He began his surgical training at Montefiore Hospital and continued his urological training at Boston City Hospital where he was also an attending. He served as an Army medical doctor in Korea from 1962-63, where he frequently volunteered at the orphanages there.

While his focus on medicine gave him so much satisfaction, he was single for much of his 20s. But when his childhood friend set him up on a blind date with a young Barnard graduate, Marion Brown, his single life came to an abrupt end. He described being swept off his feet by Marion's beauty and intelligence and she matched his feeling of instant connection. Within only two weeks of dating (long dates, he would explain) the two were engaged. His Army service continued in Maryland while Marion completed her masters degree at Johns Hopkins, resulting in a months-long engagement after their remarkably brief courtship. They were married on March 21, 1964 at the Brooklyn Jewish Center and had a devoted marriage of 62 years.

As the young couple looked for their next stop in Harold's surgical training and as Marion completed her PhD in political science at Columbia, they were drawn to Boston and its renowned medical community. He joined the late Dr. Frank Gualtieri in practice at Associates in Urology, later expanding to include the late Dr. Vincent Andaloro, at Norwood Hospital. Marion and Hal settled in Westwood, just a few blocks from sister Barbara and her family. The siblings remained close for all of his life.

Even in the 1960s when this was so rare, he was fully supportive of Marion's career as she joined the political science faculty at Wellesley College. As a two-career household in the late 60's and 70s, Harold supported women's rights and civil rights, joining Marion in fighting red lining in their Boston suburbs. They were early members of Temple Beth David in Westwood.

Daughters Sara and Marjorie were born in quick succession. Hal's Army experience in Korea motivated them to adopt 4 month old Tom in 1972, one of the first families in the area to adopt a Korean child.

A lifelong love of travel drove Hal and Marion to frequent international destinations, but they most often returned to France. Hal and Marion were fluent in French and sometimes spoke it when they needed to elude their children's ears. They traveled to all corners of the country, often driven by word of a beautiful church, village or piece of art they had not yet seen.

Hal remained a practical joker all his life. Whether teasing his picky eater young son about a new restaurant that exclusively served whale blubber, or spinning ridiculous, extended tales to unfortunate telemarketers, Hal had an infectious laugh that would frequently bring him to delightful tears streaming down his always rosy cheeks.

Hal's surgical work extended for many years at the Faulkner Hospital as well and between the two hospitals he was busy and adored by patients throughout the area. A bit of a lead foot driver, on more than one occasion Hal seemed destined for a speeding ticket but the police officer inevitably recognized him as the doctor who had treated him, or a father, or a brother and waved him on.

He and Marion took up skiing as adults and spent many winter days on New England's slopes. Summers in Bridgton, Maine were an annual highlight where Hal, the still strong swimmer, would crawl the width of the lake and back.

There was always a dog in Harold's life, from Nicky when he was a child to his beloved Melanie, Gus, Fred, Oliver and now the chocolate standard poodle Lucille, who brought such joy and affection in recent years. In retirement, after years of slowly winding down his medical career, there is nothing he enjoyed more than being at home in Westwood with Marion, a dog seated nearby, with visits and phone calls with dear friends and family.

He was such a steady rock to his family, a medical consultant for all, an active fitness enthusiast, a relentless booster of his children and grandchildren's accomplishments, that it was so startling to see his decline in recent years. The family is so grateful for the excellent care he received at Newbridge on the Charles in the last few months.

He is survived by his beloved Marion and their true love story that lasted a lifetime, sister Barbara Spark, daughters Sara (Ray Treacy) and Marjorie (Joe Riescher) and son Tom, grandchildren Jason and Benjamin Treacy and Matilda Riescher.

Services will be at Sharon Memorial Park on Tuesday, February 3 at 1 pm. The family will sit shiva on Tuesday evening.

In lieu of flowers, if you are so inclined, please consider donations in his name to:
The ASPCA of Boston https://www.mspca.org/adoption-centers/boston-adoption-center/
or
Combined Jewish Philanthropies https://ma.cjp.org/