Necrology

John Francis McCabe '44

Apr. 17, 1922-Jan. 18, 2023

John Francis McCabe ’44 died at his home in Brighton, N.Y., on Jan. 18, 2023. Born in Utica on, he came to Hamilton from the Utica Free Academy, where he had taken classes to supplement the high school education he had received at St. Francis de Sales High School. On the Hill, he majored in biology, chemistry, and Romance languages. During his first two years he was also an assistant manager for the basketball team.

Following his junior year, on July 6, 1943, John enlisted in the U.S. Army intending to become a doctor to serve in the military. Following basic training in the Army Medical Corps, he was sent to New York Medical College in January 1944, and completed his medical degree in June 1947. He then began his medical career as an intern at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester.

On his first day at St. Mary’s, John was informed that he would receive a tour of the hospital and that he should wait for his guide by the elevators. Soon, a student nurse appeared, introduced herself as Jane Anne Finch, and advised him that she would be his tour guide. As it turned out, she would be a good deal more. Their relationship blossomed, and after a three-year courtship they were married on Jan. 27, 1951. They had six children.

John completed his internship in June 1948 and the residency program at St. Mary’s in June 1950. Awarded a National Heart Institute fellowship, he spent July 1950 through June 1951 as a trainee in cardiovascular disease at University Hospital in Syracuse.

The following October, John enlisted in the U.S. Air Force as a medical officer and was sent to Wiesbaden, Germany. There he served as chief of the cardiovascular section in the USAF hospital until October 1953. Discharged a month later, he and Jane returned to Rochester, which became their permanent home.

In January 1954, John established a private practice in general internal medicine with a special interest in cardiology. Throughout his career, he mentored numerous medical students and residents in training at St. Mary’s Hospital, where he was an attending physician. He was chief of staff at the hospital and in the county and state medical societies. Adding to his own busy practice, John served as the physician for St. John Fisher College and the Rush-Henrietta Central School District. Later in his career he was affiliated with Park Ridge Hospital and the Unity Health System. Like many who are privileged to do work they love, John was in no rush to retire and did not do so until the summer of 2012, having practiced medicine for over 60 years.

Outside of medicine, John was an avid fisherman. He, Jane, and their family had vacationed on Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks every summer since 1964. Another favorite destination was Wolfe Island on the St. Lawrence River, where he and several of his professional colleagues fished for muskies. John was a golfer known for his straight, steady shots, and played on several courses in the Rochester area. He maintained an HO-gauge model railroad layout. 

Sadly, Jane died in September 2002. She and John had been married for 51 years. With the support of a loving family, John remained at the family home until the day he died and took great joy in maintaining the property’s grounds, including apple trees and an abundance of wildlife. 

Hamilton was an important part of John’s life. During Commencement in June 1963, he received his Bachelor of Arts, which combined the three years of coursework he had completed on the Hill with credits earned as part of his medical education. Of this he was very proud. As he noted in his 50th reunion yearbook: “Hamilton was the foundation of my career and planted the seeds of a continuing quest for new knowledge. It made me a willing learner, and in that sense, I never tire of being a student in the comfortable, low-key way Hamilton taught us.” John was a member of his class and reunion gift committees as well as a volunteer at the Career Center.

At the time of his funeral, a colleague of long standing described him as “one of the finest physicians in my career. He was a gentleman, quiet, thorough, caring, always comforting to patients, coworkers, staff, and an excellent example of the good qualities of a family physician. He was an example of excellence and caring to the students, interns, and residents who worked with him.”

John F. McCabe is survived by his six children, 10 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren.

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