Christopher J. Salvo M.D. age 93, of Walpole formerly of Needham, Mashpee and Naples, Fl passed away on April 27, 2025. Chris was born on January 9, 1932 in White Plains, NY to Victor C. and Antoinette M. (Santoro) Salvo. He is survived by his five children, Mary Ellen Hickey, Elizabeth Heusel, Jennifer Salvo, Victor C. Salvo, and Christopher G. Salvo; and his brother, Carmine Salvo. He is predeceased by his wife, Ann Jane (Lenehan) Salvo; his daughter, Carol; his sister, Angela, and his parents. He lived in Mamaroneck, NY until he completed the seventh grade and then moved to White Plains, NY. Chris attended White Plains High School and graduated in 1949. Upon graduation, he was honored by the American Veterans Committee with the Thornton C. Moore Human Relations Award. Chris earned his undergraduate degree from Tufts College, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1953. A “double Jumbo”, he then entered Tufts Medical School and graduated in 1957. During medical school he joined the Naval Reserve and was an extern at the Chelsea Naval hospital. In December of 1956 he married the beautiful Anna Jane Lenehan. He completed his medical internship at Buffalo General Hospital and his pediatric residency training at Boston City Hospital.
After completing his residency, Chris was called to duty in the Navy and was stationed at Quantico Navy Hospital. At Quantico he practiced pediatrics by day and obstetrics by night. In his two years there he delivered 300 babies. In 1962 he and Ann moved to Needham where he started practicing pediatrics out of their home. His office consisted of a dining room with a chandelier in the middle separated by a folding screen from the front entrance. The waiting room was the staircase leading to the second floor. Chris and his father, who was a builder and carpenter, worked together to convert the attached one-car garage into a new office by adding on two rooms and a bathroom. In those early years he would do house calls for patients who were too sick to come to the office.
Five years later, Chris’s pediatric practice had outgrown the Cape house on Great Plain Avenue, and he and Dr. Alan Morrisey built Needham's first medical building, adjacent to the Glover Memorial Hospital. Chris was a force at Needham Pediatrics, where he practiced for over 40 years until his retirement at age 72. Chris was tireless and energetic and was known for his hearty laugh and his sense of humor. Over the years, he saw generations of patients; he was a mentor for younger doctors and two of his former patients became his pediatric colleagues as the practice grew.
Active in the community, Chris was on the Needham Citizens' Advisory Committee for Children With Special Needs, president of the Deaconess Glover Hospital, chairman of the Future School Needs committee in Needham, and a member of the Exchange Club of Needham, where he was a master salesman of 4th of July flags. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Tufts Medical Alumni Association and Continuing Education Committee of Tufts Alumni. Dr. Salvo volunteered as a pediatrician at the Dorchester Neighborhood Health Center, was a member of the Tufts University Council, was on the Board of Directors of the Pediatrics Physicians Organization at Children's Hospital and was treasurer of the organization.
Visitation at the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 1305 Highland Ave. NEEDHAM on Thursday, May 1, from 4-7pm. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Funeral service and interment private. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may be made to Boston Children’s Hospital, www.giving.childrenshospital.org