Joseph Alroy

Joe was eighty-six years old, born to Chana Sheinfeld and Arieh Kirschenbaum/Alroy on January 5th,1940 in Tel Aviv, British-occupied Palestine. He is survived by his wife, Marianne, and three children Dan, Michael, and Karen.

Joe attended an agricultural high school, Mikveh Israel, and was a part of the Hashomer Hatzair youth movement. He and his friends built Kibbutz Beit Nir, where he worked with animals as a cattle farmer. During the course of treating his cattle, he visited the veterinary institute near Tel Aviv, where he discovered his love for medicine. He then pursued a graduate degree in veterinary medicine in Bern, Switzerland, where he met the love of his life, Marianne.

Following his studies he completed a veterinary pathology residency at Angell-Memorial Animal Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He was board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathology. Marianne moved to the US to be with Joe, and they were married at Newton City Hall in November 1974.

Joe was one of the founding faculty members at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, where he taught pathology to both veterinary and medical students for over 30 years. He was passionate about teaching and empowering students to deeply understand the material rather than simply memorizing content. He organized a pathology club for Boston-area human and veterinary medical professionals focused on lung pathology, often emphasizing that humans are “just another species”. He was a specialist in rare genetic storage diseases, in both humans and animals, and he published over 200 papers which largely focused on intracellular disease processes.

Joe was grounded in the values of dignity and justice for all. For nearly three decades he proudly participated in the annual walk for hunger, raising money for those in need in the Boston area. He was a dedicated family man, coaching basketball, taking his kids to work to introduce them to his profession, and sharing with them his principled values to help make the world a better place. His curious mind and strong moral compass inspired his students and children alike. He loved making new friends, and literally glowed when asking people where they were from and sharing his own personal history about growing up in Israel. He was deeply committed to peace in the Middle East, viewing the region as one family, and we pray that one day this dream will be realized.

In lieu of flowers, our family asks that you kindly consider a donation in Joe’s name to an organization that resonates with you.

A celebration of his life with family and friends will be scheduled at a later date.