Alfred J. Spiro
(1930-2019)
Dr. Alfred J. Spiro, a distinguished neurologist and longtime resident of Scarsdale, N.Y., died April 17, 2019. He was 88.
Born in New York City in 1930 and educated at NYU and the University of Bern Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Spiro was trained in pediatrics and then in neurology at the Children’s Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
After active duty in the U.S. Public Health Service he joined the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1966, where he was a professor of neurology and pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Neurology, and where he stayed his entire academic career until his retirement in 2017.
He was internationally known for his work in muscle disorders, directed the MDA Muscle Disease Clinic and published many scientific papers, including the first description of myotubular myopathy in 1966. He was recognized with several teaching awards and in 2018 received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Child Neurology Society. His peers praised his compassionate clinical skills and impeccable integrity.
Dr. Spiro was a life-long avid photographer and was an active member of the Color Camera Club of Westchester. He loved spending time with his family at their summer house in Cutchogue on the North Fork of Long Island, canoeing on the Peconic bays and cooking lobsters. He was an enthusiastic birder, fan of the opera and enjoyed planning travel adventures with his family.
He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Marjorie, a retired nurse in the Scarsdale Schools; as well as his three children and their families, including four grandchildren: Melissa Spiro and Diana Voelker of Greenport, N.Y.; Dr. Amanda Spiro and Dr. Kenneth Weintraub of Nashua, N.H. and their children, Rachel and Jason; and Dr. John Spiro and Dr. Monica Rieckhoff of Scarsdale and their two daughters, Carina and Anna.
The immediate family will have a private service to celebrate his life.
Memorial donations can be made to Doctors Without Borders.
This is a paid notice.
