Local obituary: Dr. Blake Cady, prominent Boston surgeon

Cady, Blake, MD Died, on July 15, 2023. He was the second son of Capt. John Parmalee Cady USN and Elizabeth Blake Cady and was educated at Moses Brown School in Providence, RI, Amherst College and Cornell University Medical College.

He served in the Navy before finishing a surgical training at the New England Deaconess Hospital Harvard Surgical Service and a surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He joined the surgical staff of the Lahey Clinic Foundation and Harvard Medical School in 1967. In 1982, he became Chief of Surgical Oncology and full-time member of the Harvard surgical faculty at New England Deaconess Hospital. He was appointed Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School in 1991. At retirement, he joined the surgical faculty of Brown University Medical School, as Professor of Surgery.

He was the author of over 300 publications, book chapters and other peer reviewed articles and founding editor of the Surgical Oncology Clinics of North America. He has been honored by election as president of both national and significant regional organizations, including the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Cancer Society, the Boston Surgical Society, the New England Surgical Society, the New England Cancer Society (NECS), the American Association of Endocrine Surgery and the Society of Surgical Oncology.

He was mentor to and changed the life of many in the field of surgical oncology and public health. Known for his urbane intellect, he constantly stimulated thoughtful analysis and challenged many conventional ideas.

Various awards included the Shattuck Medal of the MA Public Health Association, the Chadwick Medal of the MA Thoracic Society, the Annual Division award and the National Distinguished Service Award, both from the American Cancer Society, all related to efforts in tobacco control. Honorary lecture awards included the Haynes Martin Lecture of the Head and Neck Surgeons, the Annual Oncology lecture of the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, the presidential Award of the NECS, the Annual Heritage Award of the Society of Surgical Society, the annual Inspiration Award of the National Consortium of Breast Centers and the annual “Make Smoking History” award of the MA Department of Public Health.

He was a Surgical Consultant at the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala and gave many lectures and speeches about surgical oncology, both here and abroad.

Outside interests included skiing and sailing with family and friends. Membership in the Cruising Club of America recognized many sailing trips to Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia in his innovative cat-ketch “Woebegone Daze” and deep water sailing to Bermuda and trans-Atlantic. He was an early adopter of efforts to address Climate Change, with Solar PV for electricity, hot water and electric cars.

His beloved wife, Dorothy; and children from a previous marriage survive him, Brian of Whately, MA, Suzanne Stapleton of Gainesville, FL, and Pamela of Arlington, MA; and grandchildren, Nathanial and Benjamin of Gainesville, FL. Donations, instead of flowers, may be made to American Forests, Arnold Arboretum, Conservation Law Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, or the Greater Boston Food Bank.

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