David Davis Beiler, M.D.

A beloved husband, father son and brother, David D. Beiler, M.D. of Riverside, died peacefully at his home on June 8, 2018, a few months shy of his 96th birthday.

Born September 4,1922 in Meadville, he was the fifth of six children of the late Allegheny College Professor, Irwin and Elizabeth (Crates) Beiler, who died of a prolonged illness when David was ten years old.

Educational graduations included those from Meadville High School in 1940, Allegheny College in 1943 and from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. in 1947. He then completed a one year internship at Geisinger Medical Center, after which he married Kathleen Mary Young, a Canadian that he met in Boston.  They were married for 35 years until her untimely death at age 57 in 1982.

In 1948, Dr. Beiler began a residency training in radiology under Dr. Luther Hinkel, however, duty called and it was time for him to serve his country. A Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1949-1952,he served as the only radiologist at the U. S. Army Hospital, West Point, N.Y. In September,1952, he returned to complete his residency at Geisinger, followed by a year  in the radiology program of the Graduate School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.  After passing the Board of Radiology examination in June 1954, he began his career at Geisinger, where he served for 37 years, until retiring on January 1,1991.

In the late 1950's, Dr .Beiler initiated Geisinger's nuclear medicine program which he ran until Dr. David Brill took over in 1972.  In 1963, he went for one year to the University of Maryland in Baltimore under the guidance of Dr. Fernando Bloedorn for advanced training in radiation therapy, as well as getting more experience using radioactive implants. Following this, he returned, again to Geisinger where he chaired the Department of  Radiation Oncology until his retirement in 1991.

Some highlights of his long career included establishing a school at Geisinger to train new  radiation therapy technicians; was part of the Geisinger Cancer Committee's establishment of the House of Care and was elected President of four medical organizations, including the Keystone Area Society of Radiation Oncologists. In addition, he authored/co-authored 26 scientific papers and a number of exhibits.

Special honors included being a Fellow of the American College of Radiology, President and an Honored Radiologist of the Pennsylvania Radiological Society at their annual meeting in Hershey in 1998. Following retirement, in October, 1992, he was asked by the Riverside Borough Council to complete the term of the previous mayor who died in office .

He so enjoyed this experience, getting his "PhD in Life", he stayed on as Mayor for another five years, resigning in December,2000.

When his sons were young, David was active in scouting, serving for several years as troop committee chairman of Troup 33 in Riverside. When able, he enjoyed fishing, hunting, archery, private flying, boating and golf. In addition to traveling the world -highlighted by trips to Alaska, Venezuela, Italy, Banff and  Morocco, David spent many wonderful summers at the family cabin on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada.  Well into retirement, in May of 1999, David finished first in his age group in the BolderBOULDER 10K Memorial Day race, in Boulder, Colorado.

In his younger years he studied violin, playing in the Meadville and Allegheny College Symphony Orchestras.  He continued to love classical music, but his chief  hobbies after retirement were reading, playing golf, watching Phillies baseball and doing Sudoku.

  
David, whose main heroes were physicists, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking, evolutionary biologist, Stephen J. Gould  and classic violinist, Fritz Kreisler will be greatly missed by all who knew him. His unique and ever present sense of humor, his wide  and deep knowledge of medicine, history, cosmology, music, politics and biology; his calm and generous spirit and never ending passion to "discover and understand how everything around him worked" and then teach others --became a role model for all.

In addition to his wife  Sandy (Shively) Konvolinka  Beiler, to whom he has been married since 1982, he is survived by two sons: Duncan Beiler, and his wife Elizabeth and Ross Beiler, and his wife Gaynor; two step-daughters: Amy Konvolinka, wife of Rudy Mirran and Karen Konvolinka; five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. In addition he is survived by a very large number of nieces, nephews and cousins, all of whom reside in the United States, Canada and Scotland.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Kathleen Beiler; his brothers Clarke, Ross, Charles, Theodore and sister, Dorothy Burr; sisters-in-law Dorothy, Ruth and Dorthea  Beiler and brother-in-law  William Bentley Burr.

A private burial will take place at the Odd Fellows Cemetery. In lieu of a visitation or memorial service, a Celebration of Life to focus on all the joy, laughter and happiness that David brought into the world will be held at a future date, where friends and colleagues will be warmly welcomed. Memorial contributions may be made to the ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004 or to the Thomas Beaver Free Library,205 Ferry Street, Danville, PA 17821.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the care of the Roat-Kriner Funeral Home, 1133 Bloom Road, Danville.