Dr. Franz A. Adler's Obituary
Franz A. Adler passed away on the evening of Friday, July 15, 2022, at the age of 90. He leaves behind family, friends, and communities in many ports from Absecon Island to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Born in Münster, Germany on December 11, 1931, he grew up in Emden, a harbor town on the North Sea, where his family survived both the Nazis and RAF air raids. His parents Karl and Margarete (Teutschbein), were doctors. As a child, Franz and his sister entertained themselves by scavenging zinc bathtubs from the rubble of bombed houses to make a fleet of boats to paddle around the canals of Emden. It was the beginning of his life-long passion for boating.
During his medical education at the University of Münster, Franz participated in an exchange program that brought him to Atlantic City Hospital. There he met his wife Mary Dorothy; everyone called her Dot. They married in 1958 and returned to Germany so he could finish medical school. Eventually, the South Jersey shore pulled them back home, and they settled in Longport, just down the beach from where they originally met. They raised four daughters, a son, and many sails.
Franz trained in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and thoracic surgery at the University of Maryland Hospital in Baltimore. His medical practice in the Atlantic City area spanned three decades and served Atlantic City Medical Center, Shore Memorial Hospital, and Kessler Memorial Hospital, among other area medical facilities. He provided life-saving care for countless patients, often departing the house in the middle of the night to answer calls from several area emergency rooms. His surgical skills were recognized and admired by his colleagues and his patients additionally benefited from his caring bedside manner. For much of his career, Franz was the only thoracic surgeon in the region until later joined by his partner Fred Weber.
A man of steel, Franz could often be spotted sprinting to the Longport Point, and he skied the Colorado Rockies and the Swiss Alps with a long tail of children behind him. He sailed the Chesapeake Bay, soloed twice to Bermuda in his 60s, as well as his favorite spot, Southwest Harbor in Maine. Throughout his life, Franz was most happy when he was on or near salt water. Whether listening to the bay clapping at the back of the Longport house or sailing his cherished Hinckley B-40, the Mary D, Franz was at peace with the ocean all around him. He was elected Commodore by his fellow members in the Chesapeake Bay Bermuda 40 Association and returned to school to obtain his US Coast Guard Captain’s license.
He was predeceased by Dot, his wife of 62 years, seven miniature dachshunds, two VW convertible Beetles, and more sailboats than can be counted. He is survived by his five children: Karoline (Jon), Constance (Geoff), Joanna, Dorothy (William), and Karl (Danielle). And his beloved grandchildren, Nicholas, Harry, Danny, Henry, Peter, Molly, and Tommy. He is also survived by his sister Dr. Marlene Mathé of Waldshut, Germany, and numerous nieces and nephews.
His family is grateful to the staff at The Moorings in Lewes, Delaware, who took such good care of him and his wife during their time there. Among Franz’s remarks before taking his leave was this: “It’s true, I have been very fortunate.” Pretty good for an old salt.
Services will be private.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Dr. Adler's memory to Dachshund Rescue of Bucks County & New Jersey, https://doxierescue.com/.
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