SHERBORN: Robert Willard Carey, MD, age 80, of Sherborn and Pocasset, died peacefully in his sleep on Tuesday morning, February 17, 2015, after a long illness with Parkinson's disease. He was the devoted husband of Jocelyn Rhodes Carey for 54 years. Born and raised in Harrisburg, PA, he was a dutiful son of Charles Willard and Margaret (Trainham) Carey and a nephew to his three precious aunts, Helen, Marion and Ruth. He was a 1951 graduate of John Harris High School.
With the encouragement of his parents and Dr. Robert C. Ruedy, his uncle and mentor, he decided to pursue a career in medicine. He earned his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Williams College with several awards in Biology. After his 1959 graduation from Harvard Medical School, Dr. Carey did an internship at Massachusetts General Hospital and next elected to enter the burgeoning field of oncology. He was grateful to study for two years under the tutelage of Dr. James Holland at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY. Oncology as a field was in its infancy when he started; there was only one chemotherapy drug available at the time. His career spanned all the advances in this now large and established field.
Dr. Carey returned to Massachusetts General Hospital and practiced oncology/hematology for 41 years. He was extremely dedicated to his patients and helped thousands of patients and families navigate through the distressing diagnosis of cancer. He was their champion and spent countless hours encouraging and supporting them through treatments that could be taxing, especially in the early years when there were less supportive drugs available. He was very conscientious and dedicated to taking care of all of his patients, sometimes rounding on patients in the hospital at midnight. He was well established and respected at Mass General and had among the highest number of patient admissions there for several years. In the words of the current MGH chief of oncology Dr Dave Ryan, “ Bob’s most enduring legacy, however, was his heroic devotion to his patients. Bob laid the groundwork along with Drs Jerry Younger and Sheldon Kaufman for the strongest clinical oncology unit in the country through hard work and dedication to patients.”
Dr. Carey was a founding member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and in the course of his career authored more than 100 medical papers. He sat as the principal investigator for CALGB (Cancer and Leukemia group B) for twenty years and was an ASCO fellow and board member. Some of the chemotherapy regimens that he helped to establish are still the current standard of care in lung cancer, esophageal cancer and leukemia. As a Harvard faculty member, he mentored and helped to train many young doctors in the oncology fellowship program, many of whom are leaders in the field today.
Bob and Jocelyn lived in Sherborn and Bourne, and moved to Westwood in recent years to a retirement home. He spent his final months at a nursing home in Northbridge, MA, visited often by caring family.
He was very fond of Farm Pond in Sherborn and went for a restoring swim many summer nights after long days caring for his patients. He relished tennis matches, loved to read, cheered on the Celtics, Patriots, and Sox, memorized poetry, and tended his vegetable garden. He enjoyed taking his children skiing, despite being a lifelong snowplower himself. His favorite place to spend peaceful time was Wings Neck in Pocasset, with its tall pine trees and swimming cove. He loved going out on his boat and fishing in Buzzards Bay. Playing with and talking with his grandchildren shone above all.
In addition to Jocelyn, he is survived by two dedicated sons, Ted Carey and his wife Kelly of Upton, and Will Carey and his wife Jill of Natick; a dear daughter, Madeleine Carey Sampson, M.D., and her husband Brad Sampson, M.D., of Duxbury. He has eight cherished grandchildren who he cheered for and supported on the baseball fields, basketball courts, and dance stage. He sang his signature song, “Deep in the heart of Texas” to all of them. They are Teddy and Luke Carey, Matthew and David Carey, Chasey, Miles, Tucker, and Fletcher Sampson. He has a faithful sister, Marion Alexander and her husband William of Hummelstown, PA; a loving sister-in-law, Cherry Rhodes and her husband Ladd Thomas of Pasadena, CA; and a caring brother-in-law Warren Rhodes of Gloucester.
A memorial service will be held in Pilgrim Church UCC Congregational, 25 South Main Street (Route 27), Sherborn, on Saturday, February 28th at 10:00AM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dr. Carey’s memory to the Chief of Clinical Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114.