Published in the May 4, 2021 edition.
READING — Russell L. Jeffery, M.D., of Reading, passed away at home on Saturday, May 1, surrounded by his loving family. Dr. Jeffery was a caring and conscientious physician, a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and a devoted friend. He cherished spending time with his family and took care to stay current with events in the lives of all those he loved. He was always available for advice and comfort; “Poppa” stayed busy sharing his wisdom, compassion and humor.
Dr. Jeffery was born in Stoneham; the son of the late Russell and Beatrice (Pierce) Jeffery. He was predeceased by his brother, Leonard Jackson Jeffery, and his sister, Sandra Levesque. He was a graduate of Wakefield Memorial High School, Boston College, and Harvard Medical School. He completed internships and residencies at the University of Michigan, Rhode Island Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital and Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
He served as a captain in the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir in Alexandria, Virginia. He was appointed Chief of Gastroenterology and received a commendation from the U.S. Army Medical Corps for establishing a gastroenterology clinic at DeWitt Army Hospital.
Dr. Jeffery established an internal medicine and gastroenterology practice in Wakefield and dedicated thirty-five years of his life to the care and well-being of his patients. He never questioned his choice of profession and was relentless in continuing his own medical training in order to both expand his knowledge base and provide the best care for his patients. He was also a past president of the staff at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, past trustee of the Reading Public Library, and past board member of Our Lady of Nazareth Academy.
Dr. Jeffery was an avid reader and lifelong learner. He was an inveterate traveler, history buff, and nightly household Jeopardy champion. He loved running, playing tennis and golf, and sitting with his wife, Theresa, to watch the sunset over the ocean in Gloucester.
Dr. Jeffery was the devoted husband of Theresa A. (Downing) Jeffery, his wife of nearly sixty-four years. He was the father of Mary Ellen O’Donnell and her husband, Curt, of Dracut; Debbie Chesterson and her husband, Bill, of Richboro, Pennsylvania; Joanne Kuhn and her husband, Jack, of Bay Head, New Jersey; Russell Jr. and his wife, Elinor, of Malden; and Julie Jeffery of Stoneham. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Gregory, Lauren, Curtis, Jennifer, Jeffery, John, Matthew, Sarah, and Callie and his great-grandson, Owen.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, May 7, at St. Agnes Church, 184 Woburn Street, Reading, at 10:30 a.m. Visitation for relatives and friends will be held at McDonald Funeral Home, 19 Yale Avenue, Wakefield, on Thursday, May 6, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Memorial contributions can be made to the National Kidney Foundation at www.kidney.org.
