Arthur (Art) H. Reif M.D.

Art was born June 12, 1944, in New Orleans at French Hospital to Arthur H. Reif, Jr. and Noelie Dudden. Raised by his beloved grandmother, Hazel Dudden, and his aunt, Gloria Dudden, he grew up surrounded by a close-knit circle of relatives and friends who were family in every sense of the word, including Loretta and Benny Parent, Robert and Helen Dudden, Bob Dudden, Alice Figallo, Betty Langley, and numerous treasured cousins. Those bonds remained an important part of Art's life throughout the years.

Art's remarkable intelligence and athletic ability were evident early. A proud member of the 1957 International Biddy Basketball Championship team, he later played basketball at John McDonogh High School, graduating in 1962 as valedictorian and magna cum laude. He attended Tulane University on a Presidential Scholarship, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and was a proud freshman walk-on for the Tulane Green Wave basketball team. After his freshman year, Art stepped away from competitive basketball to focus on his studies, though he later returned to the court as a Fat City Oyster. After graduating from Tulane in 1966, Art earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans in 1970. He completed his training in anatomic and clinical pathology at LSU Medical Center and also served as a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve Medical Corps, receiving an honorable discharge in 1979. He devoted his career to pathology at East Jefferson General Hospital, retiring in 2014.

As accomplished as he was, Art never took himself too seriously. A beloved father and family man, he was known for his warmth and wonderful sense of humor, particularly his fondness for puns, jokes, and teasing. He was a formidable crossword puzzle solver, dispatching clues with an ease the rest of us found mildly irritating. He loved his newspapers, eagerly awaited the daily mail, and was always game for a Dateline mystery. Art was a lifelong stamp collector, a talented artist, and an avid Saints and Tulane fan. A passionate thoroughbred racing fan, Art attended the Kentucky Derby for 25 years. With fellow pathologist Alan Dascomb, he co-owned Sovereign's Ace, a successful stakes winner who was especially cherished by Art and his wife, Kay. He was quietly generous, helping family and friends throughout his life without expecting recognition in return.

Art was happily married for 29 years to the late Kay Reif (1951–2018), his Muses Glitter Queen, whose loss he felt deeply. He leaves behind four children from his first marriage to Kathleen Reif: Sean Reif (Tina), Erin Reif (the late Brian Caramadre), Arthur “Brett” Reif, and Molly Reif (Ben Hanfelder); two grandchildren, Coel Reif and Arianne Reif; and Jeff Hand (Julie) and their daughter, Kelsey, whom he loved as family.

Art had many names to those who loved him: Dad, Daddio, PawPaw Hermie, Herminator, Pooh Bear, Uncle Bondo, and Silver Fox, to name a few. Behind every name was the same brilliant mind, gentle nature, generous heart, and goofy humor we will miss so much, silly puns and all.

Arthur Reif's memorial will be held at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home & Cemeteries on Friday, September 4th, with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m., followed by a Catholic funeral service at 11:00 a.m.