OBITUARIES

Dr. John T. Carey

Death came suddenly and tragically to John Carey. He died Friday, September | after falling overboard the William G. Mather Maritime Museum steamship. His death at about 9:30 pm was in stark contrast to the

glittering backdrop of opening festivities at the nearby Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Muscum. He was attending a private party aboard the museum ship.

Dr. Carey left behind his beloved companion of 15 years, Dr. Russell A. Trusso. Together they had created a relationship as an exemplary role model for the gay community. It came to be seen by their close friends as commitment that is achieved only as a result of hard work. Symbolic of that, perhaps, John augmented Russell's botanical enthusiasms in transforming a suburban back yard into a semi-tropical paradise which served as a retreat and garden replete with pool, fountains and rare species in which to entertain their close friends. Their personal lives were closely aligned and balanced by their avocational interests and devotion to medicine; the partnership was a genuine display of love, and affirmative picture for the entire community.

John Carey was the most well-known and respected Cleveland physician working in the field of AIDS patient care and research; he was nationally known and published. He was an extraordinarily brilliant physician, whose greatest attributes were those of compassion, devotion and commitment to his patients and his research. He had been at University Hospitals since 1980, after receiving a doctorate from Tufts University School of Medicine. It was during the early period that he would begin his relationship with Russell, perform his internship, his residency and a fellowship at University Hospitals; he was to eventually become medical Director of the Special Immunology Unit in 1988, that unit dealing with HIV and AIDS. That same year he was presented by Northern Ohio Live magazine with the Achievement Award in Volunteerism. He also

was an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University, A lengthy anthology of journal publication is his impressive contribution to medical research dealing with the more rarified aspects of HIV and AIDS.

I'

Farah M. Walters, president and chief executive officer of University Hospitals, and Dr. Adel A. F. Mahmoud, director and physician-in-chief of the department of medicine, said in a release: “Dr. John Carey was, without question, one of the finest, most promising young physicians we have ever known. John was nationally respected for his research into new treatments to alleviate the pain and suffering of HIV-infected people. He worked tirelessly to educated the community on the prevention of AIDS. But what he will be most remembered for were his qualities as a human being, and the extraordinary compassion and caring he felt, that translated into making himself available to his patients 24 hours a day, he was truly a wonderful person, and we are saddened beyond words by this terrible loss."

On the local level his loss will be acutely felt by his patients and by those active in efforts to fight AIDS. He had helped found the Western Reserve AIDS Foundation in 1987. Most recently he was leading a group locally that was investigating a viral infection that complicates AIDS and was working on very active antiviral drugs to restore immune responses. These projects are to be continued, a legacy to John Carey. Most recently, the honorary chairs of the 1995 AIDS Walk, Victor and Joan Gelb, announced that the annual event will officially change its name and become the Dr. John T. Carey Memorial AIDS Walk.

In private life, John's interests were a unique combination and contrast to his work. He was an ardent fan of science fiction escape literature, curiously and paradoxically tangent to his work. He also was an amateur expert in jewelry design, and in hisory's vintage examples. As a couple John and Russell were foils for each other when entertaining because John was an oenologist, His knowledge of

wines was vast.

Funeral Mass for John T. Carey was said at 9:30 am on S September 6 at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The mass contained liturgical and musical materials symbolic of his life, his relationship with Russell and his tragic death. The funeral was attended by a wide range of prominent people representing the medical, professional, social, civic communities and his vast patient family.

In addition to Russell, he is survived by his mother, Ruth Carey, sisters Jean and Ellen Carey, brothers Peter and Christopher Carey, all of Evanston, Illinois. Arrangements were handled by Busch Family Funeral Chapel in Parma.

Memorials may be sent or telephoned to the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland, 2250 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114; 216621-0766.

David Johnson

David Johnson was a friend, confidant, and source of great energy for many people. He was the subject of a Cleveland Plain

Dealer article in August 1994 about people living with AIDS and passing life milestones. The article was best summed up when the author wrote, "He (David) copes by trying to appreciate aspects of life that he never thought about. The detail of the plants on his Lakewood porch. The smell of summer. The color of a cardinal perched on a tree outside."

Time caught up with David soon after the printing of the article. Fighting till the end, David passed away on August 16 at age 34. He is survived by his partner Ed Harrell, parents Bev and Ron, brother and his fiancee Steve and Cathy, and sister Megan. Services were held at the Bruner Funeral Home in Mentor.

The last paragraph of the Plain Dealer article quoted David, "There are no miracles but there are ways to stay ahead. If I couldn't laugh, I'd be gone.”

Keep laughing, David. You'll never be gone from

your friends.

SEPTEMBER 15, 1995 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 9

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