Reichard, John F. MD

 

John Francis Reichard of Chestnut Hill, MA died Tuesday April 21, 2026 of natural causes.

 

John was born December 10, 1925 in Queens, NY to George and Catherine (Buckley) Reichard. 

 

He attended Phillips Andover Academy, and Haverford College, before enrolling in the U.S. Army where he served for three years in Germany and France during World War ll. After being discharged in 1946, he attended Harvard College and later Harvard Medical School on the G.I. Bill, graduating in 1952. 

 

That same year he married his beloved Dorothy (Dottie) Medlicott. Together they had five children, and three grandchildren.  They remained married for 68 years until her passing in 2020. 

 

During his medical residency at Boston City Hospital, John found his calling listening to patients talk about their lives and struggles; this led him to dedicate the rest of his career to psychiatry. 

 

John began his teaching career while a resident at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center from 1953 to 1955, and he then taught psychiatry at the Beth Israel Hospital from 1955 to 1966. He also became a member of the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute during this time. In 1966, he originated and organized the psychiatric teaching program at the Adams House, and later that year he founded the Psychiatry Department at Faulkner Hospital. There he served as the Chief of Psychiatry from 1966 to 2000.

 

Alongside Faulkner Hospital colleague, Chief of Medicine Dr. Jack Graham, John taught internists and other medical doctors the healing role of the doctor-patient relationship. They emphasized attention to the emotional as well the physical needs of patients.

  

John taught many generations of Harvard and Tufts University residents and medical students. In addition, he dedicated 34 years to the Adams House Psychotherapy Fellowship Program. John was a truly dedicated teacher and was an inspiration to all who had the privilege to experience his superb teaching at conferences, and his sensitive, empathetic supervision. After retiring from Faulkner, he maintained his private psychiatry practice until retiring at the age of 98.  

 

During his seventy-year career, John saw medicine change profoundly and he often regretted the loss of focus on healing. He spoke of the difficulties of working in a health care system that puts profit first. 

  

John was an avid tennis player and longtime member of the Longwood Cricket Club. He often proclaimed,”I’m working on a new serve.” John looked forward to summers in New Hampshire, where family and friends gathered, good times were had, and no one was in a hurry to be anywhere else.  

 

An avid reader with a vast knowledge of history, he was an intellectual who wore it lightly. He was modest and decent in the way that is increasingly rare, never seeking recognition for the quiet and steady way he showed up for the people in his life- as a husband, father, uncle and mentor. 

 

John always referred to himself as the “last of the New Deal Democrats” and the description fit. John was kind, insightful and generous.  His steadiness, decency, and caring brought comfort to many and left a legacy for others to cherish and emulate. He will be deeply missed. 

 

Memorial donations may be made in John’s memory to St. Francis House Boston, The Pine Street Inn, or Doctors Without Borders. There is no memorial service planned at this time.