Obituary of Dr. Edward J. Scarvalone

Poughkeepsie resident Dr. Edward J. Scarvalone passed peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on January 30, 2017. Edward was born on April 2, 1920, in New York City, to Louis and Sophie Scarvalone. After his parents moved to Sullivan County when he was a young child, Edward lived in rural Bushville, New York, where he attended a one-room school with his older brother, Joseph, before attending Liberty Central High School. As a boy, he and his brothers, Joe and Albert,, helped their father with chores, including milking cows and planting vegetables. His Uncle Angelo, a dentist in New York City, was a respected and esteemed member of the family who influenced Edward to follow in his footsteps. At the time, college was unaffordable for his family, until his high school principal encouraged him to apply to City College of New York, where tuition was then free for qualified students. He lived with relatives while finishing his degree and then was accepted to New York University Dental School in 1940. A year later, the military took over dental and medical schools, and he was placed in an accelerated program, graduating in 1943, when he became an officer in the dental corps. For the next three years, he worked in three installations, of which the major one was at Camp Blanding in Florida, an infantry replacement center with a population of 165,000 troops throughout the war. There it was the dentists' responsibility to control soldiers' dental problems in 21, 19, or 17 weeks, depending on the demand for replacements. In January 1946, he was transferred to Fort McPherson in Atlanta, Georgia, a permanent installation, and then was separated from Army service in August, when he moved to Poughkeepsie, where he worked briefly in the dental department of Hudson River Psychiatric Hospital until establishing his own practice in Poughkeepsie. He was also affiliated with St. Francis Hospital for many years. Edward met and married Polly Christie, from Lake City, Florida, in 1945, when he was stationed at Camp Blanding. She predeceased him in 2003. Together, they raised six children: Carol (Kushner) of Red Hook, New York; Susan of Frederick, Maryland; Patrice (de Leiris) of Wakefield, Rhode Island; Polly (Adams) of Killingworth, Connecticut and New York City; Edward (Weisman) of Brooklyn, New York; and Maria (Ezratty) of Brooklyn, New York. He was also a proud grandparent of six children and uncle to six nieces and nephews. A 60-year member of the Duchess County Dental Society, Edward had been secretary, treasurer, vice president, and president of the organization, and for many years, he attended meetings, classes, and seminars held by the organization. In 2009, he received the Walter Wallace Stevens Award for Meritorious and Distinguished Service when he was inducted into The Duchess County Dental Society Hall of Fame. Over the course of his career, he treated three generations of patients, some of whom he had met when he first started his practice. He retired from his practice in Hyde Park on Dec. 31, 2016, and he was always grateful to his loyal and accomplished assistant, Susan Heupler, who had joined him as an intern from Duchess Community College's Dental Assistant Program in 1972 and remained as a valued member of his practice, thanks to her intelligence and skill. Edward was a curious individual, who avidly read his daily copies of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. He loved travel, and enjoyed hiking trips in Ireland and Italy. He enjoyed visiting the beach, at both Cape Cod and Florida, was a civic booster of the Walkway and enjoyed spirited conversations with his patients about literature, music, and politics. He was an opera and NPR lover, a bird watcher, and received joy from observing nature and his flower garden. He instilled his children and grandchildren with a desire to be fair and just and to become active members of their communities. He is predeceased by his wife, Polly, and brothers, Albert and Joseph, as well as his sister Lucille (Hill). He is survived by his sister Jeanne (Scruggs). Visitation will be held on February 4, 2017, from 3pm to 6pm, at the Timothy P. Doyle Funeral Home 371 Hooker Ave Poughkeepsie, New York 12603 with a Celebration of Edward's Life to be held in early April. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Family Services of Poughkeepsie, Habitat for Humanity, or to the charity of your choice in his name. If you would like to leave an online condolence please visit www.doylefuneralhome.com