FALMOUTH – Dr. Edwin P. Maynard of Falmouth House at Ocean View in Falmouth, Prouts Neck, and Chestnut Hill, Mass., died peacefully on March 19, 2021 surrounded by his family.

Ed Maynard was a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital for over 50 years. He was also an Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School where he taught medical ethics into his late 80’s. He was honored to serve as President of the American College of Physicians from 1989-1990.Ed was born and raised in Brooklyn Heights, in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge and not far from where his ancestors arrived as immigrants to the United States.

For schooling, Ed went from Poly Prep to Deerfield Academy. In 1944, at age 18, he volunteered with the American Field Service and was assigned to drive an ambulance in the European Theater. His service took him from Italy, through France, to Germany where he was one of the first of the Allies to enter the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. After the war, Ed attended Williams College where he developed a love of science.

During medical school at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, a summer break allowed Ed to travel to Labrador, Canada, where he worked in a remote clinic. In Labrador he met and fell in love with a fellow volunteer, a Smith College student named Lisa Simonds, whom he married in 1955.  Ed and Lisa had four children, Ted Maynard of New York, NY; Libby Gordon of Cumberland, Maine; Ginny Swain of Cambridge, Mass.; and Dan Maynard of London, England. Ed and Lisa were married for almost 60 years until Lisa’s death in 2014. A joyful adventurer at heart, Ed loved exploring the world. After the war ended, he rode through Europe on a motorcycle, taking a detour to climb the Matterhorn. Rather than attending his college graduation, Ed and his best friends, Pat Graney and Wally Barnes, hatched a plan to take a small rowboat down the Hudson River from Troy to New York City. After many harrowing near misses and sleepless nights, they abandoned their boat at West Point and hitched a ride for the rest of the way. He loved every minute of it. In 1969, he moved his family to Kampala, Uganda, where he worked in the new residency program at the Makerere University School of Medicine. Ed enjoyed life to the fullest, a quality that led to his family swimming near hippos and hiking in the Rwenzori Mountains in neighboring Rwanda in search of gorillas. Ed was dedicated to his work as a physician, to his patients, and to teaching medical students and residents at Massachusetts General Hospital.

He also loved his church, The Church of the Redeemer, where he served as Senior Warden of the Vestry in the 1970’s. He found great joy in his family and loved sharing good meals and adventures with them, particularly hiking, skiing, and sailing.

Dr. Maynard is survived by his four children, their spouses Robin Dahlberg, Peter Gordon, Bob Swain, and Lauren Maynard; his niece Sarah Miles Williams; 10 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild born December 2019, named Edwin.

In lieu of flowers please send donations to: Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office 125 Nashua St., Suite 540 Boston, MA 02114https://giving.massgeneral.org/donate/or to:Church of the Redeemer 379 Hammond St. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467https://secure.accessacs.com/access/oglogin.aspx?sn=91822


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