BANGOR and CLEVELAND, Ohio – Francis F. Silver, M.D., 91, died Feb. 13, 2004, at Bangor. He was born Sept. 28, 1912, in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Ralph S. and Ruth J. Silver. He was a graduate of Harvard College (1934), and Western Reserve University School of Medicine (1938). He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in the European Theater during World War II. He found the perfect fit for his lifelong career, the practice and teaching of Pediatrics in Cleveland, Ohio. There his love of children was returned in kind by his patients and their parents. For the latter part of his career, he served as the commissioner of health for Cuyahoga County, Ohio, retiring in 1985. Francis had a keen love of life, people, song and the written word, both prose and verse. He had an uncanny ability to see the best and as a result to bring out the best in others. He thrived on the outdoors, and especially enjoyed fishing, skiing, walking, sailing and bird watching. He was a superb husband and father. He vacationed in Maine, and in 1998 moved here to be closer to family. He was predeceased by his first wife, Mary (Dunstan) Silver, in 1961; his second wife, Eugenia (Thornton) Silver, in 1992; his sister, Maxine Cronbach, in 1983; and his brothers, Lieutenant Michael T. Silver, in 1943, Ernest S. Silver in 1961, and Ralph S. Silver in 2003. He is survived by his son, Timothy D. Silver and wife, Margarita, of Santa Monica, Calif.; his daughter, Deborah Silver and husband, Dakers Gowans, of Boulder, Colo.; his son, M. Theodore Silver, M.D. and wife, Sandie, of Winterport; and his grandchildren, Joshua, Barrett, Meghan, Mahala and Hamish. Celebrations of honoring and remembrance in Maine and Ohio will be announced at later dates. Gifts in his memory may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association, Maine Chapter, 153 Lancaster St., Suite 160B, Portland, Me 04101. A service of Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor.
FRANCIS F. SILVER, M.D.
