BREWSTER- No matter what the prognosis, patients leaving Dr. Frank Kessler’s office in Brewster always left with a smile on their faces thanks to the physician’s corny sense of humor by seeing the lighter side of life.
After 40 years of treating thousands of patients, Dr. Kessler is hanging up his medical bag and retiring at month’s end.
Calling his professional career “one of the great privileges of my life to care for residents of Putnam County for four decades,” Dr. Kessler is turning his practice over to his son, Dr. Matthew Kessler and three other physicians—Drs. Eleanor Eustace, Teena Thomas and Mina Makar.
During an interview, Dr. Kessler was asked: “Why medicine?”
His response was straight forward: “My 96 year old father was a doctor and I grew up being called ‘Doc.’ From my kindergarten teacher all the way through high school, my nickname was ‘Doc” and when a guidance counselor in the 11th grade asked what I was interested in, I replied: ‘Medicine’ since my father loved his profession and it was a natural thing to do.”
After graduating from medical school in Philadelphia, Dr. Kessler opened his practice in Brewster because “I really liked the community. My notion was on target since I have come to know many of my patients and their families as friends and I am honored that many of them asked me to care for two and even three generations.”
Dr. Kessler, who is also an assistant professor at New York Medical College, has worked alongside some great people over the years yet one of his greatest accomplishments was having his son Matt join the practice in 2017.
As a child growing up, Matt Kessler loved hearing stories from his dad regarding the medical profession.
Matt, one of Frank and his bride of 45 years, Fedela’s four sons, Frank, Matt, Greg and Steve, are all successful in life.
How is it working for your father? Matthew smiled: “Dad put on the full court press. Joining my father’s practice was not something I was pondering while attending medical school but after careful consideration, coming home to Brewster was a natural fit for me.”
Dr. Frank said he had been “blessed. When a parent has the opportunity to give one of your children the chance to work alongside you, you have to take it. To stand next to him and ask questions is simply fantastic. I get to eat lunch with Matt every day. We ‘schmooze’ everyday. He’s a great young man who is well trained. It’s fun to actually give advice when he requests it.”
Dr. Kessler called it unusual in internal medicine for a “son or daughter to become part of one’s practice. It’s a tough road and I forgot how difficult it was until I witnessed Matt toil through his studies and residency. It’s wonderful to have him here; a young man born and raised locally, coming home to treat patients in the community where he was reared.”
When asked about particular patients, Dr. Kessler reflected: “It’s never easy when someone passes on yet when a patient critically ill rallies and recovers after undergoing numerous procedures and physical therapy, it makes the profession all worth while.”
Dr. Kessler also recalled the tragic day when a 68-year-old Connecticut bicyclist was killed when struck by a car while pedaling along Route 6 in front of his office. Drs. Frank and Matthew Kessler dropped what they were doing that morning to aid the victim and commenced CPR seconds after the crash. The gravely injured cyclist was rushed to Danbury Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Dr. Kessler remembered how insensitive passing motorists were that day: “Matt and I were administering CPR in the left lane of traffic and vehicles were flying by in the right lane narrowly missing us. Not a single vehicle slowed down: Go figure.”
The overwhelming majority of medical practices today are part of large conglomerates including Kessler’s Brewster Medical Group.
Dr. Kessler described the phenomenon as the future of medicine since “you can’t really conduct business by yourself any more. There are too many things to deal with including insurance regulations, computers, billing issues, personnel which is why 20 years ago we joined Nuvance. It’s been a great partnership.”
Now that Dr. Kessler is about to retire are any plans in the future for he and Fedela?
“A lot of family time with six grandchildren and a seventh on board this spring,” was the reply.
The family also owns a home in Florida: “We’ll be spending time this winter in the sunshine state keeping warm.”
Anyone visiting the elder Dr. Kessler is aware of his infectious laugh and often corny jokes.
Dr. Matt called funny story telling “my dad’s style. His signature laugh which by the way none of his four boys got, embarrassed us while growing up. Our dad was so loud… always with a funny joke and that laughter.”
Dr. Frank said he tells his tales in order to “see my patients smile. I was reared in a small town in Pennsylvania and we talked about everything all day long. My dad did the same. He loves a good story as does my 92 year old mother.”
As Dr. Kessler looks toward retirement, he does so with much gratitude for his patients, his colleagues, Matthew who have supported and inspired him in addition for the opportunity to serve in a town he has considered home.
“I have been the luckiest guy in Putnam County and I never won the lottery. I got to do exactly what I wanted to do in a prefect place. There are no people more fun to deal with than the people in this locale. Brewster and Carmel are my people. Never once in my 40 years have I complained about getting up and going to the office. I have been blessed alright.”
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