Dr. John E. Scanlon

July 24, 2010

Calling hours will be 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at the Cleveland Funeral Home in Watertown. A memorial service will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 28, at St. Anthony’s Church with Rev. Michael Gaffney and Rev. Donald Robinson officiating. Burial will follow in Glenwood cemetery. 

CHAUMONT, N.Y.  —  Dr. John E. Scanlon, 82, died early Saturday morning at his home in Chaumont under the care of his family and Hospice of Jefferson County.

Born Oct. 21, 1927, in Syracuse, the son of Daniel J. Scanlon Sr. and Mary Rose Gaynor Scanlon, he graduated in 1945 from Immaculate Heart Academy, Georgetown University in 1951, and The Queen’s University School of Medicine, Kingston, Ontario, Canada in 1958.  He served as a sergeant in the Army from 1946 to 1948. 

He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, an Ophthalmologist in Watertown from 1962 to 1966 with Atkinson, Kennedy and Scanlon; with the Kennedy-Scanlon firm from 1966-1968 and in solo practice until his retirement in 1991. 

Dr. Scanlon served as medical director of the Community Alcoholism Center, as former president of the medical staff at Mercy Hospital, as chief of the department of Ophthalmology at Mercy Hospital and the House of the Good Samaritan and as a volunteer physician-ophthalmologist for Remote Area Medical (RAM of Canada and RAM USA). His RAM service extended to Guyana, South America, Tanzania, Bandeh Aceh, Indonesia as well as to underserved areas of the southern and western United States.  From 1991 to 2001 he was a mentor-in-residence at Queen’s University, a member of the Queen’s University Governing Council and served as vice-president of the 1958 medical school graduating class. 

Dr. Scanlon was a member of All Saint’s Church in Chaumont as well as the Timber Oaks Community in Port Richey, Fla. 

His first wife, Betty O’Neil Scanlon, died August 1998, and he married Sally Kelly Lundy Scanlon in June 2007.  

Surviving him are his wife, Sally; a daughter and her husband, Roberta and Keith Watson, Gainesville, Fla.; a son and his wife, Mark and Karen Scanlon, Weston, Fla.; grandchildren, John Watson, Denver, Colo., Sarah Watson and Emily Scanlon; stepchildren include Kimberly and Larry Maracle, Wolf Island, Ont., Kevin and Katherine Lundy, Mary Chris and Bruce Remus, Maureen Lundy-Way and Dr. Jeffrey Way and the late Scott Lundy, all of Watertown; seven step grandchildren and a great-grandchild; and two sisters Meem McAloon, Katie Peacock and Deanne Scanlon. 

A brother, Daniel J. Scanlon, Jr., died before him. 

John loved golf, tennis, fishing, travel, his friends, his family and a good cigar. 

In lieu of flowers, donation may be made to Remote Area Medical (RAM), 1834 Beech St, Knoxville, TN 37920 or to Hospice of Jefferson County, 425 Washington St, Watertown, NY 13601.