My Dad

Dad's traverse is complete.  He did it his own way.  Of course. 

To be published in various newspapers .. 

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Arthur Elliot (Pete) Reider, MD

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Arthur Elliot (Pete) Reider, MD, died peacefully at home in San Francisco of lymphoma on Thursday August 13th 2015.  Janet Sampson Reider, his wife of 57 years, and all three of his children were by his side.  Dr. Reider and Janet divided their time for the last few years between their family home in Newton Massachusetts, a home in Vermont and San Francisco where they grew up.

A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Pete married Janet, his high school sweetheart, in the spring of 1958 after graduating from Harvard College. Janet and Pete met when they were 13 years-old, and Janet recalls how he *chased* her up the path at a Sunday school picnic, thus initiating the courtship.  They began their married life in Cambridge, as Pete entered medical school.

A retired psychiatrist, Pete had a rich and rewarding professional life, earning the respect and gratitude of hundreds of patients, as an intern at Mt. Zion Hospital, as chief resident at Mass Mental Health Center, and in private practice in Cambridge and Newton.

Pete was a lifelong runner and fan of track and field. At Harvard, he ran cross country and was the captain of the Men?s Track and Field Team. He was a record holder in the mile run with time of 4:11,  the 2 mile with a time of 9:21.8, and cross country.  He was voted to the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame and named a member Men?s All-Time First Team All-Ivy League Cross Country Team for both the 1957 and 1958 seasons. Coach Bill McCurdy said that Pete ?was one of the toughest little men he has ever known, and that he fought fatigue like a mortal enemy.  Among Pete?s greatest joys was cheering on sons Jacob and Matthew, and grandchildren Sampson, Molly, and Charlotte as they continued the great Reider running tradition.

Pete was the son of Dr. Norman Reider, a renowned psychoanalyst, and Mrs. Louise Reider.  Born in Topeka Kansas, he spent his early childhood in New York City, before moving to San Francisco, where he attended Lowell High School with Janet.  With Janet at his side, Pete enjoyed travel, music, books, science, Red Sox games, the New Yorker magazine, and sharing his quick wit and love of learning with his grandchildren.  Pete enjoyed a tradition of taking grandchildren on trips to Venice and never missed a graduation, play, concert, track meet, soccer game or birthday celebration. He was the best Grandpa on the planet.

Always curious, Pete took to writing short stories and poetry in recent years.  Stepping Stones, a book of his poetry and fiction, notable for its quirky humor and characters, was published in 2014.  Sharing his love of knowledge with others, Pete taught courses in the blues, humor in literature, and creative writing at BOLLI, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Brandeis University.

Pete leaves behind his beloved wife Janet; his children Jacob Reider and his wife Alicia Ouellette, Suzie Reider and her husband Brian Smith, Matthew Reider and his wife Alison Cohen; grandchildren Molly Reider, Sampson Reider, Charlotte Reider-Smith, Rosie Reider-Smith, Max Reider, and Zoe Reider; his brother Jonathan Reider, brother-in-law John Sampson and his wife Sharon Litsky; sisters-in-law Deborah Green, Louise Sampson and Leah Reider, as well as dozens of beloved in-laws, cousins, and friends.