WILL GROSSMAN

GROSSMAN--Will, MD, A prominent New York internist and cardiologist, died peacefully in his home of metastatic melanoma. He was tended lovingly throughout his illness by his beloved wife Soony. He is survived by his brother Howard and his family. A memorial service will be held at 3:30pm on Sunday, April 22, 2012 at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home, 1076 Madison Avenue (81st Street). Born in the Bronx, NY on October 18, 1932, he graduated from the prestigious Bronx High School of Science in 1948, the University of Pennsylvania in 1953, and the New York University School of Medicine in 1957. He was certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Cardiovascular Disease. From 1959 to 1961, he served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force in Evreux France, where he honed a taste for gourmet food and fine wines. After leaving the Air Force, he was closely associated with Beth Israel Medical Center in New York, initially as director of geriatric medicine at the Gouverneur Clinic from 1966 to 1972. Gouverneur, on the Lower East Side, where Beth Israel had its origins, was a renowned and innovative clinic. He mentored scores of health professionals in that setting, providing a unique and humane practice of health care delivery to the poor and underserved. In 1978, he initiated a private practice of internal medicine and cardiology at Madison Avenue and 72nd Street. Participating fully in the cultural life of New York's theater, music and arts, the Grossmans also traveled extensively in the United States, Asia, Europe and Africa. Will was an accomplished photographer and birder, and he often made these activities the center of their travels. Over the years, he acquired a notable collection of U.S. duck decoy and shore bird carvings and was well recognized at Eastern shore auctions as a knowledgeable and perceptive collector. The gentle art of good listening made him a beloved friend and companion and enhanced his skills as a physician. He was a devoted husband and loving friend, a man with a great zest for life, a gift for friendship and a compassionate and caring nature. Beloved by colleagues and friends, his true genius showed in his relationship with his patients. He instilled in them a remarkable level of confidence and trust inspired by his warmth, compassion, attentiveness and wisdom. Scores of colleagues, friends, and patients made their way to the Grossman home over the course of his illness to pay him tribute. People of widely diverse backgrounds - including notables like Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Milton Glaser, the celebrated and pre-eminent graphics designer, and Dr. Howard Gray, renowned immunologist and president of the Scripps Institute of La Jolla - came to praise a good man. In this day of hyperbole, Will Grossman was the essence of goodness. He will be sorely missed by the multitude of friends, patients and colleagues whose lives he touched deeply. May his name be a blessing for us all.