Dr. Gerald J. Gruman, 81, husband of Ipswich native, the late Joan
Bousley, died September 13, 2007, of respiratory complications at
Belmont Manor Nursing Home in Belmont, MA
Born in
Philadelphia, PA, Dr. Gruman was the son of the late Harris Gruman
and Jennie Arnopolsky of Lebanon, PA. He earned a B.A. at Cornell
University in 1946, and an M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in
1949.
In 1947, Dr. Gruman
met his wife of 59 years, while they were both taking courses at
Columbia University in New York City. Joan Gruman, born in Salem,
had lived in Ipswich since 1934, graduating from Ipswich High School
with the Class of 1941, and Massachusetts College of Art in 1945.
She had a lifelong career as an art teacher and art administrator in
the public schools. She died in 2006 of a heart attack.
During the Korean
War, Gerald Gruman served in the Public Health Service/ Coast Guard
with the rank of Captain and Senior Assistant Surgeon. He then
earned a Ph.D. in History at Harvard University in 1960, and had a
career as an educator and scholar, publishing many groundbreaking
articles on medical ethics, death and dying, and aging and the
elderly. His book, The History of Ideas on the Prolongation of
Life, was first published in 1966, and, due to its continuing
relevance and readership, was republished in 2002.
Dr. Gruman was a
loving husband, father, grandfather, and uncle.
He is survived by
his son, Harris L. Gruman, and daughter-in-law, Giuliana Minghelli,
of Somerville; two grandchildren, Anna J. Gruman, and Isaac M.
Gruman, both of Somerville; and two nieces, Janet Ruhe-Schoen of
Beacon, NY, and Ellin Brockman of Hamden, CT.
His funeral service
was held graveside, September 15, at the Linebrook Cemetary,
Ipswich. He is buried next to his wife, Joan, and beside the plot
of her family, the Bousleys. Arrangements were under the direction
of the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home of Ipswich.
In lieu of flowers,
memorial contributions in his name have been requested to be made to
the International Longevity Center-USA, 60 E. 86th St.,
New York, NY, 10028
