Kenneth Meyer
January 13, 1928 - January 08, 2018
Visitation: Sunday 3-5 p.m. at Devlin Funeral Home of Cranberry
Service: Monday 10 a.m. in St. Ferdinand Church
Kenneth Karl Meyer, age 89, died Monday, January 8, 2018 in Cranberry Township, PA. Born in Chicago, IL January 13, 1928, to Dr. Joseph L. and Mary W. (Hebenstreit) Meyer, he was educated at Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, WI, and Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, where he met his future wife, Alice Albro. He graduated from Northwestern University School of Medicine in 1951. Following an internship at Wesley Memorial Hospital in Chicago, he was drafted into the Air Force and served as Captain on the Medical Corps in Iceland and El Paso, Texas.
From 1959 to 1967, after residency in surgery at Ochsner Foundation in New Orleans LA, he was on the surgical staff of the Ochsner Clinic as associate to Dr. Alton Ochsner and Director of Medical Education for the Ochsner Foundation. He was on the surgical teaching faculty of both Tulane University and Louisiana State University. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1960. After being recruited by Dr. William Beck as an Associate in Surgery at the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, PA in 1967, he continued his interest in breast cancer treatment and research, and was the first to recognize that radiation therapy can decrease circulating immune cells.
Co-editor of the textbook “Current Concepts in Breast Cancer” and author of more than 50 published articles, he was a visiting professor at seven medical schools and presented his research in fourteen countries and 36 states. Dr. Meyer was president of the Wainwright Tumor Clinic Association (now Pennsylvania Oncologic Society), Bradford County Medical Society, and the Robert Packer Medical Staff. He was a member of the Societe Internationale d’ Chirurgie, Central Surgical Society, Society of Surgical Oncology, American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons, Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract and the Association for Advancement of Medical Instrumentation on whose Board he served, as well as many committees. For 10 years, he was Chair for Pennsylvania of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and also served on its Committee on the Operating Room Environment. From 1971 to 1980, he was a member of the Breast Cancer Task Force of the National Institutes of Health. He was the first physician to introduce the groundbreaking breast cancer treatment tamoxifen at the Guthrie Clinic. Dr. Meyer was known to say “You treat the whole person, not just their medical diagnosis.” Together with his wife Alice and daughter Katherine, he developed the Albro Center, a commercial space in downtown Sayre, that housed the Albro House gift shop from 1986 – 1993. As a devout Catholic, Ken was an active member and lector of the Epiphany Church in Sayre, Pa and attended many sunrise services at Mt. Savior Monastery in Elmira, NY. Dr. Meyer was a keen reader and enjoyed many topics ranging from cosmology, physics, mathematics, to philosophy, history, religion and the arts. He was active in gardening, skiing, relaxing by the pool, and of course, raising his seven children.
He and his wife enjoyed traveling the world, entertaining their friends, and being surrounded by family. Ken’s sparkling blue eyes, locking contact with those he met, always showed enthusiasm, intelligence, and a love of life. Ken is predeceased by his son, Joseph, brother, Dr. Eugene Meyer, sister, Dr. Rosemary Meyer, and grandson, Patrick. He is survived by his loving wife of over 65 years, Alice; 6 children: Margaret Andreoli, Claire Kaufman, Chris and Sheila Meyer, Drs. Monika and Klaus Gottlieb, Katherine (Bonnie) and Robert De Los Santos, Angel and Dr. James Jaap; 9 grandchildren: Erica Kelly, Katie and Kellie Meyer, Kyle and Laura Rice, Walter and Amanda Kaufman, Kenneth Kaufman, Isabella Gottlieb, Camille and James Jaap; 2 great-grandchildren, Kylie and Jaden Kaufman; brother, Dr. J Allan Meyer, sisters, Helen Meyer and Mary Claire Meyer Smits, and sister-in- law, Dr. Joan Meyer. Ken was kind with his words, modest in his actions, compassionate and generous with his love, and was a mentor to many. He will be forever missed. A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 14, 2018 from 3:00 pm– 5:00 pm at Devlin Funeral Home of Cranberry, 2678 Rochester Road, Cranberry Twp, Pa. 16066A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Monday ta 10 am at St. Ferdinand Catholic Church, Cranberry Twp. All other services are private at the convenience of the family. Memorial contributions may be made to Mount Savior Monastery, 231 Monastery Road, Pine City, NY 14871.
Send Flowers Shop Gifts Print Obituary Share Obituary
