Raymond Donald Santucci, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon who often dedicated his surgical skills to mission work, passed away on April 19, 2022, at age 80. He was at home on Sanibel Island, Florida at the time.
His family, friends, patients, and colleagues say he will forever be known for his passion for knowledge and for helping others. He would often join different volunteer groups serving at mission hospitals around the world. He also volunteered as assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Loyola University Hospital and Shriners Crippled Children’s Hospital in Oak Park, Illinois.
Santucci was born to Guido and Ernestine Santucci on April 22, 1941, in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, where he won a Catholic League Football Championship.
He then received his undergraduate degree from Loyola University in 1963 and his medical degree from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in 1967.
After an internship, he served in the Navy as Lt. Commander and was a combat orthopedic surgeon at DaNang Naval Hospital in Vietnam.
Once he completed his orthopedic residency, he opened his private practice in the Winfield-Wheaton area of Illinois. He was also chief of orthopedics and president of the medical staff at Central DuPage Hospital.
Santucci was a fellow to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery. He retired from private practice in 1999 and then moved to Florida where he served at the VA Hospital in Fort Myers.
His volunteering never stopped. He “responded to his country’s needs after 9/11 and was instrumental in launching a volunteer organization, the Medical Reserve Corps, in both Southwest Florida and Illinois,” according to his obituary.
He also became an instructor with the American Medical Association so he could educate physicians, first responders, and other healthcare professionals on medical responses to terrorism and disasters.
“Ray’s story is about living a value-drive life. At a young age, Ray’s mother died, and he was raised by aunts and uncles. Ray learned about his Italian ancestry and embraced the Catholic Church. He worked hard to achieve his success. From his teens on through medical school, he toiled to make ends meet, working as a plumber, carpenter, a soda jerk, a Chicago City bus driver, and even setting up pins at the bowling alley. Some of our favorite times have been listening to him reminisce and share the funny stories about driving the graveyard bus shift,” his family wrote.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Patricia Santucci; his son, Dr. Raymond Santucci and wife, Dr. Gail Santucci (Sprague); his daughter, Gina and husband Scott Usechek; and his grandchildren, Max Fontaine, Gabriella Santucci, Charlie Santucci, James Santucci, John “Jack” Usechek and Raymond Usechek.
