Richard A. Selzer, MD, age 87 died on June 15, 2016 at Evergreen Woods, North Branford. He is survived by his wife Janet White Selzer, their son Jonathan (Regine), Larry (Rossi) and their daughter Gretchen (Donna). Also survived by their seven grandchildren, Becky, Hank, Emily, Lucy, Ned, Danny and Ellie. Born in Troy NY, Richard graduated from Union College in 1948 and Albany Medical College in 1953 before moving to New Haven to start his internship in surgery at Yale. Richard and Janet White were married in 1955. He was then drafted into the US Army and served as a lieutenant in Korea and Japan, during which time he treated both servicemen and the Korean villagers. After returning to New Haven, Richard completed his surgical residency at Yale and practiced surgery in New Haven until 1985. In addition to his work in New Haven, Dr. Selzer participated in volunteer surgical teams in Peru and Haiti, repairing facial disfigurations and the like. Dr. Selzer began writing concurrent to his medical career with short stories, published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. In 1985 he retired from medicine to devote himself completely to writing. He has published 13 books with another on the way and received many literary awards, such as the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in 1985 and the National endowment for the Arts in 1988. Dr. Selzer has been an artist in residence for several years at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY and a resident scholar at the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Study Center on Lake Como, Italy. Dr. Selzer was a pioneer in literature and medicine movement, participating in conferences around the world. He was also a devoted teacher of writing and led classes, workshops and presentations throughout the country. Selzer was the recipient of honorary degrees from universities across the nation.

Memorial contributions should be made to the Employee Scholarship Fund at Evergreen Woods at 88 Notch Hill Rd, North Branford, CT 06471. A celebration of Richard's life will be held at the New Haven Lawn Club on Sunday, July 24 at 12:00 noon. The family would like to thank the staff at Evergreen Woods Health Center for their compassionate care during his illness.