Russell Sage Boles Jr., M.D. of Osterville, passed peacefully at his home at the age of 96 on February 4, surrounded by four generations of loved ones. Devoted husband of Margaret Severinghaus Boles for 67 years, beloved father of three, along with nine grandchildren, their spouses, and five great-grandchildren.
A graduate of Haverford School in PA, Russell came to Princeton where he became one of the first of the Nassoons as a Bass-Baritone, joining in the first round of auditions. He then joined an accelerated program designed to help educate physicians quickly during World War II.
He later went to Columbia Medical school, serving in the US Navy for two years as Medical Officer on the USS Fargo in the Mediterranean. He returned to finish his medical residency at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Hospital, studying gastroenterology.
He and his father, Russell Sage Boles, were the first father/son members of the American Gastroenterological Association, as well as both being gifted classical pianists. Later, he moved to Boston where we was a lecturer in Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Boston City Hospital. He was in private practice for 40 years, affiliated with New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH), Boston, MA, where he also served as a trustee for two decades. Notable patients included President John F. Kennedy, Joseph and Rose Kennedy, Tom and Jean Yawkey (former owner of the Red Sox), Gene Tunney, Ted Williams, and Archbishop Jacob Iakovos.
In 2011, the Yawkey Foundation made a grant to NEBH, dedicating the Russell S. Boles, Jr. M.D. Suite of Operating Rooms. He had a private practice on Cape Cod from 1981 - 2008, and was a consultant in internal medicine to the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston and the Cottage Hospital on Nantucket. He retired from private practice in 2008 at the remarkable age of 84.
Dr. Boles lived a life of active Christian fellowship, serving on the Vestry at Trinity Church, Boston, as an Elder at Christ Chapel, Cape Cod, and as a member of Church of the Redeemer, also in Cape Cod. In 2018 he was the recipient of the Roy T. Morgan Foundation Award for his outstanding contributions and commitment to people with disabilities. Russell was known for his bedside manner as a doctor, for being a thoughtful listener, and a caring mentor to those blessed to have known him. He was a man devoted to faith, family, and friends.
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