Dr. Russell Beavers Jr.
Dr. Russell Beavers Jr. of Huntington died on Wednesday, August 3, while working as a traveling doctor in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He was 61.
Dr. Beavers was born on August 1, 1950, in Danville, Virginia, to Mabel and Russell Beavers Sr. and moved to New York when he was 10 years old. He graduated from Southampton College, Rutgers University Medical School in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and completed his surgical residency at Stony Brook University Hospital.
He practiced surgery and was also an emergency medical specialist at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Rockaway, the former Hempstead Hospital, Long Beach Memorial Hospital and Huntington Hospital.
Survivors describe Dr. Beavers a true renaissance man whose interests were many and varied. An avid scuba diver, he completed numerous dives off Tahiti, the Virgin Islands, Cancun and various other exotic locales all over the world. He was also an accomplished musician and collector of vintage guitars, who played guitar and flute, playing professionally throughout his college years at such esteemed venues as the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
In 1988, he married Jacqueline Leonard, and together they had a daughter, Katherine, who was the light of his life.
Dr. Beavers was a world traveler, who witnessed rainfall along the Amazon River and the sunrise in St. Petersburg, Russia, with his wife and daughter. He traveled throughout Europe and especially enjoyed Italy and Scandinavia. He was an avid chess player, enjoyed cycling, fencing and tennis. Most of all, he enjoyed cooking and sharing gourmet meals with family and friends. His venison stew, risottos and apple pies will be sorely missed, family said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by his mother and father-in-law, John and Janet Lotti; two sisters-in-law, Lori Taff and Arlene Petronaci, a brother-in-law, Tom Petronaci; and a niece and nephews, Doug and Kimberly Taff, and Michael Orrico.
A memorial service was held at M.A. Connell Funeral Home in Huntington Station on Wednesday, August 10.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Doctors Without Borders, doctorswithoutborders.org, would be appreciated by the family.
on Aug 9, 2011