Obituary of Jordan Finkelstein

Dr. Jordan Warren Finkelstein, of State College, PA passed peacefully on Sunday April 16, 2017. He was born in New York City to Dr. Hyman Finkelstein and Gertrude Birnbaum on July 8th, 1933. He attended NYU for both college and medical school, earning his MD degree in 1958. Following medical school, he completed an internship at Beth Israel Hospital, a residency in pediatrics at Bellevue Hospital, followed by a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. It was here that Jordan met his devoted wife of 54 years, Judith Ann Schur, of Bristol, CT. He spent his early career in medicine practicing in New York City at Montefiore Medical Center until 1967. However, the lure of tropical breezes, warm winters, and a career in academic medicine landed Jordan and his young family in Galveston, TX where he served in the role of professor of pediatrics and Director of Adolescent Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch from 1976 to 1989. In 1983 he earned a M.SC. in epidemiology during a sabbatical at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In 1990, he relocated to State College, PA joining the faculty teaching both undergraduate and graduate student courses. He was also teaching faculty at Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, where he attended to patients from all over the state in the endocrine clinic. From 1993-95, he completed a research sabbatical at the NIH in Washington, D.C., at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He retired from active medical practice in 2006, and spent the remainder of his time residing in Happy Valley, volunteering for various causes, avidly collecting and cataloguing butterflies, and travelling to visit his grandchildren. He was a life-long tennis player and fanatical fan of the game. He very much enjoyed his time with tennis buddies on the court, and he will surely miss their company. Jordan committed his life to caring for others, and spent his entire career in academic medicine teaching future generations of practitioners. In this regard, he has touched and influenced many lives of those in his company. He is survived by his wife Judith; sister Bathsheba Freedman; son Steffen Finkelstein and daughter-in-law Dolly; son Jordan Finkelstein Jr.; daughter Jennifer Ford and son-in-law David, grandchildren Chloe and Zachary; son Jeremy Finkelstein and daughter-in-law Caroline, grandchildren Max and Alex; daughter Jill Williams and son-in-law Mark, grandchildren Seth, Cole and Kai. The family wishes to thank the physicians, nurses and staff of Mount Nittany Medical Center, and the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for their care over the years. In lieu of a formal service, a family gathering will be held in his beloved Southampton, NY where he was most at peace.