Arthur Raymond Pilkerton

Arthur Raymond Pilkerton, Jr., M.D., passed away peacefully at Georgetown Hospital in Washington D.C. on June 5, 2026, surrounded by his family. Predeceased by his parents, Arthur Raymond and Rosetta (Ginechesi) Pilkerton, he was born in Washington D.C. on March 27, 1935. After graduating from Gonzaga College High School in 1952, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree (Magna Cum Laude) from Georgetown University in 1956, and graduated from Georgetown University Medical School (Cum Laude) in 1960.

After completing an internship at the University of Pittsburgh, he returned to Georgetown University where he completed his residency in ophthalmology in 1964 and his fellowship in retinal surgery at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia in 1965. He was a diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He had four decades of academic appointments at Georgetown University Medical School and George Washington University Medical School. In 1982, he co-founded The Retina Group of Washington. He was also a veteran of the United States Army.

In 1966, he married his wife Sally Ann (Madden) Pilkerton and during the course of their 59 years of marriage, they were blessed with five children and nine grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his son Joseph Anthony (Suzanne) in 2020 and is survived by his wife, Sally, and his children, Ray (Antonietta) Pilkerton, Mary (Tom) McAndrews, Chris (Amanda) Pilkerton, and Jeanne Marie (Rafael) Michelena and his grandchildren Madden, Tatum, Julian, Giles, Aidan, Ciaran, Declan, Sebastian, and Elizabeth.

Dr. Pilkerton will be remembered as a beloved husband, father, and grandfather, a respected colleague and gifted surgeon.