Mr. Edward P. Cummins, M.D.

December 9, 1913 - August 5, 2014

Edward P. Cummins passed away peacefully at home on August 5, 2014, attended by loving family. He was 100 years old. Born in Plattsburgh on December 9, 1913, and raised in Mineville, NY, Edward was the son of Grace Robinson Cummins and Dr. Thomas J. Cummins. E. P. Cummins, M.D., F.A.C.P., maintained a local private practice and served on the staff of the Cortland Memorial Hospital (specializing in cardiology and internal medicine) from 1948 until his retirement in 1992. Dr. Cummins was a graduate of Georgetown University (Class of '36) and earned his M.D. degree from the Long Island College of Medicine in 1940. Soon after, he became acutely ill with tuberculosis and was admitted to the Ray Brook Sanatorium for an extended period. In 1942when reexamined for the Armed Services his TB had reactivated, and he was again placed on complete bed rest. During his recuperation and thereafter, when fully mobilized and able, Dr. Cummins served two internships in New Jersey, and a three-year residency, two yearsspecializing in tuberculosis in Pontiac, Michigan and a third year in internal medicine at Albany Hospital. He then served as senior tuberculosis physician at H.M. Biggs Memorial Hospital in Ithaca just prior to his arrival in Cortland. Ed loved sports (and was noted to root for the Hoyas in a sea of Orange) and retained an encyclopedic knowledge of friends' and acquaintances' high school and college sports accomplishments. He played halfback for the Mineville High School football squad and was a varsity letterman in 1931. Throughout his life he remained physically active and possessed a formidable tennis forehand, ice-skated, skied downhill and cross-country from the days of Snow Crest on, and was an avid hiker traversing local woodlands and the Adirondack Mountains, including favorite Mount Marcy. Ed's interests included vegetable and flower gardening, tent camping, literature, international relations, and political activism towards issues of social justice and world peace. He and his wife Ruth traveled extensively throughout the world. He loved music and was proficient with the harmonica, clarinet, accordion, and piano. Ed played clarinet in the all-physician dance band dubbed "The Melodic Medics." Ed's various memberships included the Cortland Citizens for Peace and the Cortland County Historical Society, and he was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Edward is survived by his children, E. Patrick (Beli) Cummins of Ottawa, Ont. and Dhaka, Bangladesh, Kathleen (John) Kane of Cortland, Dr. Kevin (Katherine) Cummins of Cleveland, OH, Thomas (Norma) Cummins of Cortland, Christopher (Susan) Cummins of Cortland, Sean (Marianne St. Denis) Cummins of Cortland, Colin (Susan) Cummins of McGraw, Brian Cummins of Cortland, Michael Cummins of Honolulu, HI, and Deirdre (Richard) Wright of Havertown, PA; 27 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews, and cousins. Edward P. Cummins was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Ruth S. Cummins, in 2003; his four brothers, John, Tom, Jim, and Mitchell; his middle daughter Deborah Cummins; daughter-in-law Vivian Cummins; and grandchildren Meggen Cummins and James Caddell. Those wishing to honor his memory can do so with a donation to the Father O'Heron Scholarship Fund, Cortland College Foundation, P.O. Box 2000, Cortland, NY, 13045; Catholic Charities of Cortland County, 33-35 Central Ave., Cortland, NY, 13045; or the Cortland County Historical Society, 25 Homer Ave., Cortland, NY 13045. Calling hours will be held Saturday, August 9, from 1 to 4 p.m., in the Chapel of the Riccardi Funeral Home, 69 N. Main St., Cortland, NY. Services and committal will be private and at the family's convenience.