Dr. Donald Perlman

With deep reverence and heavy hearts, we are sad to announce that Dr. Donald Perlman passed away peacefully on Wednesday July 20 at his home in Swampscott after a long and valiant battle with ALS with his beloved wife Cynthia and youngest daughter Victoria at his side. In addition to Cynthia and Victoria, Dr. Perlman also leaves his loving daughter Lisa and her husband Alan, devoted son Timothy and his wife Amy, and cherished grandchildren Isabel, Jacob, and Zachary, as well as his extraordinary caregivers Carmen, Ramona, Lucy, and Jeimy. He is predeceased by his eldest son Michael, and also leaves a wonderful extended family.

Dr. Perlman lived an extraordinary life of giving and sacrifice. Following medical school at Boston University, he trained at Case Western Reserve University Hospital in Cleveland, and began his surgical career as a Captain in the United States Army, stationed at Fort Jay in NY and Fort Devens in MA. He was a Clinical Instructor in Surgery at Harvard University School of Medicine, was on the staff of Massachusetts General Hospital, and himself trained a generation of surgical residents from MGH from 1962 through 1987.

Dr. Perlman truly loved medicine, and practiced surgery faithfully on the North Shore at Lynn, Union, Saugus, and Salem Hospitals for over fifty years until he retired at the age of 84. His patients were first and foremost, and he was tireless in his quest to heal them. He loved his office staff, with whom he was together for the greater part of his career, and collaborated with and respected his fellow doctors, nurses, and hospital staff, and looked forward to working with them every day. However, he delighted most in his family, with whom he spent his happiest moments in life. He will be remembered with love and deep admiration always, and will be dearly missed.

There will be a visitation and memorial at Stanetsky-Hymanson Memorial Chapel in Salem on Tuesday at 2:00PM. Burial at Waterside Cemetery in Marblehead will be private with family.

Remembrance may be made to the Boston North Cancer Association of Peabody MA. www.bostonnorthcancer.org (781) 205-9447