Dr. Herbert Frank Gretz Jr., passed away on June 25, at the age of 94.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Shirley M Gretz of Niskayuna, New York; his four children, Elissa Gretz Friedman (Robert), Michael Joseph Gretz, Herbert Frank Gretz III (Julianne Dunne), and Jane Gretz Bateman; his eight grandchildren: Kathryn Friedman Flack (Aaron), Caroline Friedman Stewart (William), Kristina Gretz Diaz (Joseph), Lauren Gretz, Daniel Bateman, Jennifer Bateman, James Bateman and Andrea Bateman; and his great-grandson Tyler Flack. His parents Herbert F. Gretz, Sr and Josephine W. Gretz and his brothers, John L. Gretz of Kent, Washington, and Richard W. Gretz of Edwards, Colorado preceded him in death.
Herbert was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 11, 1929 to Herbert F. Gretz Sr., and Josephine Weaver Gretz, and spent his childhood there. He was an Eagle Scout and a Sea Scout. He attended Lehigh University and graduated in 1951 with a degree in Pre-Medical Sciences, spending many summers during his attendance crossing the country to fight forest fires in Idaho.
At Lehigh, he was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. He graduated from The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine earning his medical degree in 1955. His internship was at St Lukes Hospital in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he met his wife, Shirley. His residency was at University of California, San Francisco in OB/GYN. After residency he entered the military and was stationed at Loring Air Force base in Maine, Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois and went on to serve as the Chief of OB/GYN at Royal Air Force Base in Lakenheath, England.
After his time in the military, he entered private practice, beginning at the Guthrie Clinic in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Schenectady, New York, where he was a busy OB/GYN for more than 20 years. While practicing medicine, he also earned his JD from Albany Law School, grad He returned to active duty in the Army during Desert Storm and served as the chief of OB/GYN at West Point Military Academy for the next five years.
He was admitted and qualified as an attorney and counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States by Chief Justice William Rehnquist on Jan. 22, 1996. He then served in the legal department at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (now Walter Reed National Military Medical Center) under the U.S. surgeon general, for many years.
He honorably retired from the military at the rank of colonel.
For the next 20 years, he enjoyed his retirement in Niskayuna and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He loved to read, paint, fish, and travel. He was a talented musician who could play seven musical instruments, as well as sing. He dearly loved spending time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
