John J. Greenler, M.D.

John Joseph Greenler, M.D. (Jack), age 98, of Boxford, MA, Lynn, MA, Lynnfield, MA, Middleton, MA and Peabody, MA, died peacefully on March 14, 2023, after a stroke, surrounded by his family at High Pointe House in Haverhill, MA.

John was born on December 3, 1924, in Boxford, MA to Mabel Louise (Hill) Greenler and Dr. WIlliam Jeremiah Greenler. He was one of 8 children growing up on a dairy farm in Boxford, MA where he milked cows after school, saw the introduction of electricity and the telephone, and retrieved a very drunk bull from a field back to the barn (fermented apples). He graduated as Salutatorian from Johnson High School in North Andover, MA in 1941. He put himself through Boston College from 1941-1943 at the cost of $150 per semester under the Navy V-5 program, taking the 2-hour train trip from Boxford to BC to attend classes. After graduating from Boston College, he graduated from Tufts Medical School in 1947, completed his general internship at Salem Hospital in 1948, his surgical internship at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn NY in 1949, and his surgical residency at Lynn Hospital in Lynn, MA in 1950.

He served in active duty in the US Navy (Medical Corps) from 1950-1952 at the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan during the Korean War. He, along with his medical unit, was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon for “extremely meritorious service in the treatment and hospitalization of 5,804 war casualties and other patients…most of whom were received during a peak period of 6-7 December 1950.” These patients were “Marine Corps members who had been wounded when trapped by aggressor forces in the Choshin Reservoir area.” John never shared too many details of this time other than finding “unexploded ordnances” that needed to be defused in his patients. Even so, John’s family knows he made an impact. Once, a man walked up to John and one of his daughters in the parking lot of a grocery store. The man recognized John as his doctor at the US Naval Hospital in Japan and wanted to thank him for his life-saving work 50 years prior.

After the Korean War, John started a private practice in Orthopedic Surgery serving the greater Lynn, MA community, retiring in 1996. Patients from all over the US also traveled for treatment as John was able and willing to perform major surgeries (using his war training) without blood transfusions. The Hippocratic Oath and serving his patients were central in how he approached his life’s work. In the early 1980s during a physician strike, John continued to treat patients as he didn’t want his community to be without medical care. John accepted sweaters or other creative payments to financially help his patients. In 1991, he was awarded the AtlantiCare Physician of Excellence Award recognizing excellence and commitment to his patients and the community. A local newspaper at the time called John “the ultimate decent man” whose door was always open to the poor and sick.

John met the love of his life, Gertrude A. Leary, while performing in a barbershop quartet for a charity event in 1950. He married Gertrude in 1952 in California at Camp Pendleton. They were married for over 64 years, until Gertrude passed away in 2016. John and Gertrude had four children: Patricia Anthony (husband, Eric) of Auburn, NH; Carl Greenler of Lynn, MA; Daniel Greenler (wife, Lisa) of Sewickley, PA; and Kathleen Sexton (husband Sean) of Andover, MA. John also leaves his very beloved grandchildren: Andrew J. Greenler, Robert J. Greenler, Maria K. Greenler, Donald J. Anthony (deceased), and Declan J. Sexton.

John was also the beloved patriarch of a very, very large Irish-German family. He is predeceased by all his siblings: William J. Greenler Jr., Mary G. Christian, Helen F. McLaughlin, Margaret C. Meader Brisson, James L. Greenler, Philip H.Greenler, and baby Rose, who only lived one day but John always made a point to remember her. He absolutely loved and followed the antics of each and every cherished niece, nephew, grand-niece, grand-nephew and all in his extended family. 

John was a humble man never talking about accomplishments (even though he served as President of the BC Alumni Club, Vice-President of the Citizen for Civic Awareness, The Mass Medical Society, and many other organizations) but boy was he vocal about issues that were important to him. From Popes, to Presidents, local politicians, and newspaper editorial boards, he was never shy about getting on his Selectric typewriter and using his two index fingers to type a letter to tell you how he (politely) felt.

The most important thing in John’s life was his faith in God. He was an active member of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Lynnfield. His deep faith drove his works of charity and service to all around him. John believed that when his day of reckoning came, he would be judged not so much on how well he did in this life but on how he used his talents to make a difference to those in need.

Family and friends may call during the wake on Monday, March 20th, from 4 to 7 PM at the Mackey Funeral Home, 128 S Main St - Rt. 114, Middleton, MA. His Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 21st at 10 AM at St. Maria Goretti Church, 112 Chestnut St. Lynnfield, MA. The interment will follow at Puritan Lawn Cemetery in Peabody, MA.

In lieu of flowers, John’s family asks that you donate in his memory to My Brother's Table in Lynn, MA. (https://mybrotherstable.org/)  - see the link below:

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