Dr. John S. Hooley

Dr. John S. Hooley, 93, formerly of Rockville Centre who was a resident of Naples, Fla., since early 2008, died in his sleep on Jan. 10. He was preceded in death by his parents, the Hon. Francis G. Hooley and Charlotte S. Hooley, of Rockville Centre. He leaves Betty G. Hooley, his wife of 60 years; five children, Deirdra H. McAfee, of Richmond, Va.; John F. Hooley, of Naples, Fla.; Priscilla H. Nullet, of Hayesville, N. C.; Richard M. Hooley, of Montgomery, N.Y.; and Alan P. Hooley, of Cape Canaveral, Fla.

He also leaves nine grandchildren: Charlotte, Andrew and John McAfee; Michael, Matthew, and Thomas Nullet; Kevan, Gwendolyn and Corwin Hooley; and one great-grandchild, James Garrett, as well as sons-in-law James B. McAfee, of Richmond, and Dr. Francis R. Nullet, of Hayesville, and daughter-in-law Begoña E. Hooley, of Naples. John’s sister, Helen H. Young, of Venice, Fla., and Norwich, N.Y., and his brother-in-law, Richard M. Grunwald, of Ormond Beach, Fla., also survive him.

John, who knew he wanted to be a surgeon from childhood, grew up in Rockville Centre, where his father practiced law, serving as corporation counsel for the village and later as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court. John compiled an outstanding academic record at Cornell University while lettering in varsity lacrosse and diving. During his medical training, he served in England in World War II, rehabilitating wounded soldiers. In 1949, John married Betty Grunwald, a registered nurse. Founding a family and building a practice took them from Long Island to Iowa to Florida.

John practiced general surgery for almost 40 years, beginning his career in Rockville Centre, where he was on the staffs of Mercy Hospital, Meadowbrook Hospital, Nassau Hospital and Freeport Hospital, followed by seven years in Sigourney, Iowa, and 23 more in Brevard County, Fla., where he retired in 1988. A board surgeon, John was also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons.

John was a tremendous diagnostician as well as a skilled and inventive surgeon. His goals were always excellence in the work and patients’ well-being — goals he consistently achieved. A hands-on physician who made morning and evening hospital rounds throughout his professional life, including weekends, he was ahead of his time in getting his patients up and walking as soon as possible after surgery, which helped them resume normal life faster and with fewer complications. He never lost a patient in all the years he practiced.

Despite a demanding schedule as a sole practitioner, John had wide and varied interests. Two years of schooling in France as a boy, in addition to making him fluent in French, inspired a lifelong interest in history, a passion for travel, and an appreciation for fine food. John and Betty toured the world, beginning with a trip to Japan in 1962; their travels took them to India, Nepal, China, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, South America, Russia, and Europe — eastern as well as western. John delighted in exploring foreign cities; wherever he went, he always knew enough of the language to get around, see the sights, and meet the people.

The spirit of inquiry and the attention to detail that distinguished John as a doctor were the essence of the man; he was endlessly curious and tireless in seeking answers to questions of all kinds. John’s knowledge was truly encyclopedic—no fact, especially if the topic was history, science, or mathematics, was outside his range of reference, and he particularly enjoyed throwing obscure, unexamined, surprising, or overlooked information into conversation.

Those who knew John well will miss him deeply, as will the many friends whose company he enjoyed so much, and the hundreds of patients he saved, cured, or helped.

A funeral Mass was offered in his memory on Jan. 29 at St. Agnes Cathedral, with burial following at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Dr. Hooley’s memory to: The American Heart Association, Memorial/Tributes, PO Box 840692, Dallas, TX 75284-0692.