John A. Schremly M.D. III

1931 - 2025

John A. Schremly, III M.D. passed on Friday, November 28, 2025. He was born a cradle Catholic in February 2, 1931 and remained devout throughout his life beginning each day with an Our Father prayer. He was the first born to John A. Schremly and Annabelle Guilmette Schremly in the small town of Rochester, Vermont. He spent his childhood enjoying the "Green Mountain" state. At an early age he developed artistic talent and a love of athletics. In high school he became a proficient javelin thrower and was elected to the National Honor Society. There he met a group that remained life-long friends. He attended the University of Vermont and joined the Delta Psi. He and his brothers excelled at "walking for the Kake." He then attended the University of Vermont's Medical School and became a member of Nu Sigma Nu, the oldest medical fraternity in the country, founding members included William Mayo. His chosen medical specialty became psychiatry where he was trained to evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms were the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly mental issues. As a medical doctor he became particularly interested while using the medical model, in focusing on the biologic and psychosocial relationship. His medical internship was at Boston City Hospital. That year he became a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners. He met and married his wife Sylvia Darlean Toto, a nurse and Bonnie Sister band member who recorded one of the very first girl group sounding recordings. His first year residency was in psychiatry at the highly regarded Institute of Living in Hartford Connecticut, one of the first psychiatric hospitals in the United States whose mission was to treat mental illness with dignity and care. That foundation of his training instilled in him the principles that guided him in his patient care and everyone he met, believing that all people should be treated with due regard and respect. Jack and Sylvia welcomed their first born, Darlean Sylvia that year before he began his second year residency as a commissioned officer of the United States Public Health Service, a medical uniformed service equivalent to a U. S. Navy officer. He served as a staff psychiatrist at the USPHS hospital in Lexington. It was at this time that he trained with Dr. John Rompf in his practice and also at the private Wayside Hospital, a new concept in psychiatric hospitals where they created a "home-like, club-like" atmosphere. Dr. Rompf served as it's Vice-President and Jack's mentor. Jack and Sylvia welcomed their second daughter Cynthia and son John before accepting a third residency on the Harvard Service at Boston City Hospital as a Harvard Teaching Fellow and a Research Fellow. His JAMA published research was source material for the Task Force report on Narcotics & Drug Abuse issued for the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. Upon returning to Lexington, he served as Chief of the Men's Addiction Unit and subsequently the Acting Clinical Director of the United States Public Health Service before retiring as Surgeon, Lt. Commander. He began his private practice, acted as an Industrial Psychiatric consultant for IBM and a Psychiatric Consultant for the University of Kentucky Student Health Service Center and became a Board Certified Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology. He then served as a consultant for the Children's Bureau and became a member of the Huxley Institute, American Schizophrenia Association. Dr. Schremly participated in a Special Medical Education position as a consult with the Academy of Orthomolecular Physicians with Alan Cott, M.D. David Hawkins, M.D. and other notable physicians. He served as Associate Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at the Good Samaritan Hospital and accepted a Special Appointment to the Mental Health Coordinating Committee by then Governor Louie B. Nunn for the University of Kentucky Medical School. The following year he served as Chief of In-Patient Services in the Department of Mental Health at Good Samaritan and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at St. Joseph Hospital. That year he was asked to do a mental health evaluation on Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern's choice for vice president but said candidate was forced to resign before Dr. Schremly was able to so. Dr. Schremly served as Panel Member for the Kentucky Medical Association's Foundation for Medical Care, Ad Hoc Committee. He was active in the medical community as a member of the Fayette County Medical Society, the Kentucky Medical Association, Kentucky Psychiatric Association, Southern Medical Association, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, the Academy of Orthomolecular Psychiatry, and was a Fellow Member of the Association of the Institute of Living. In 1978 the "Blackfriars Massacre" occurred in Boston Mass. which resulted in 5 deaths involving organized crime. Dr. Schremly, as a highly trained specialist in chemical dependency, was called to maintain a mentally ill addicted key witness for the Federal Government. The local individuals who approached him for his esteemed expertise were deficient in knowledge of addiction and lacked a vital understanding of medical psychiatry. As a result they were handily manipulated and deceived by their witness thus attempted to shift blame and falsely accuse Dr. Schremly of certain illegalities. In an open courtroom, the U.S. Federal Judge, acknowledging the overwhelming support of the medical community as well as other members of the community, advised the then U.S. Attorney and the Fayette County Attorney that there was not enough conclusive evidence to charge the doctor. Dr. Schremly did not return to private practice and went on to establish what was thought to be the largest psychiatric patient population in Kentucky as the Medical Director of the Cumberland River Behavioral Health, where he managed and improved the quality of care of three clinics. As a 2004 member of the Medical News Physician's Seminar Dr. Schremly among the other participating physicians, expressed their concerns regarding the current challenges they were facing in their practices. His chief concern was his inability to provide a high quality of care when certain medications were restricted to his patients by the government. Concern for quality of care led him to research Pharmacogenomics for personalized medicines and candidate drugs to offset drug-related weight gain associated with psychiatric drug therapy. Driven by his interests and research pursuits, he accepted appointments as an Advisory Board member for Abbott Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Co., GlaxoSmithKline, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Susequently he was asked to serve on the Speaker's Bureau for Bistol-Meyers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, and Glaxo Smith Kline, Novartis, and Sunovian Pharmaceuticles. In 2005 he served on Janssen's Multi Brand Bipolar Advisory Board alongside Sanjay Gupta, M.D. and 19 other physicians representing as many states. Jack was an artist, both visual, accomplished in charcoal, oil pastels and sculpture, as well as a musician. He and Sylvia collaborated on writing songs, she on piano and the saxophone and he on the guitar. Jack was an athlete. Early in his life he was a track enthusiast and skier. Later he enjoyed tennis, golf and skiing with Sylvia as well as playing polo with the Boonesboro Polo Team. After Sylvia passed, he embarked on a shared dream of theirs, thus the Metropol was born. The fine dining restaurant was named after Schremly family hotels in Switzerland and Italy. The Metropol's bar was authentically named after Jack's uncle, Harry Schraemli, a European culinary authority. Jack was a member of the American Artists Club, the Journal Club of the University of Kentucky College of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, the Keeneland Association, the Thoroughbred Club of America, and Jobie Arnold's Polo Club. Jack was a member of St. Paul's Church where he participated as Lector. Later, he began to attend Christ the King Cathedral after his grandson David's Confirmation at the Cathedral. Jack was loyal. He was loyal to his God and of the qualities He calls us to seek, he exemplified humility, possessed self-control, and obedience to our Lord. He was loyal to his family, friends, and to his profession. As a doctor he treated his patients with composure and compassion. He was true to Sir William Osler, emphasizing humanity in medicine as well as the Hippocratic Oath and it's ethics. Dr. Schremly was a life long learner possessing curiosity and cognitive acuity. His life was an extraordinary life well lived in service. Visitation will be Monday, February 2 from 5 to 7pm at Kerr Brothers, Main Street Lexington, Ky. The Rite of Committal will be Tuesday, February 3 at 1pm at the Via Dolorosa mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery, Main Street Lexington, Ky. Serving as Honorary Pallbearers are Ryan Kelsch, John Maddox, Harold Dean Jesse, Douglas J. Nesbitt, M.D., Robert P. Granacher, Jr. M.D., Timothy C. Wills, David O'Donnell, D.M.D., John R. Schremly, and David M. Trapp, III.

As Jack would say, Cheers! Salute! Prost!