Benedict Joseph Semmes ’71

Benedict Joseph Semmes ’71, M.D., passed away on June 18. He was a resident of Wonalancet, New Hampshire, and New Orleans. He was born on October 20, 1949, in post-war Bremerhaven, Germany. Joe graduated high school at the Portsmouth Abbey School and completed his A.B. in biological sciences at Dartmouth, punctuated by a stint in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1971, including one tour in Vietnam. After returning to Dartmouth to finish his undergraduate training, he earned an M.D. at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital and a fellowship in critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. His involvement with and outlook on medicine shifted following his 1997 diagnosis and subsequent battle with neuroendocrine pancreatic cancer. Later in his career he practiced palliative care medicine and was founding incorporator of the Hospice of Southern Maine and served on the Maine Health Palliative Care Working Group. He also promoted holistic medicine as director of research at True North in Falmouth, Maine. He loved walking in the woods of New Hampshire as well as playing chess and squash. Joe had a great sense of humor and playfulness paired with a lively, inquisitive mind. He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Elonide; children Benedict, Eleanor, and Faith and her husband, Travis ; and sisters Walden and Amy.