Dr. E. Deland Battles, Longtime Nyack Practitioner

With heavy hearts the Battles’ family announces the passing of Dr. E. Deland Battles, Jr. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014. He was born January 7th, 1933 in Waterville, NY.

He is survived by his devoted wife Eileen Boyd Battles; two children: Sarah Battles Franklin and Kathryn Tipton Battles Schmidlen who were “the light of his life”; two grandchildren: Sophia Frances and Ada Celeste Franklin; three stepchildren: Suzanne Glynn Cotter, Jennifer Glynn Preti, and David Boyd Glynn; and his sisters: Mrs. Dianne Hearn and Lois Battles.

Dr. Battles was a graduate of St. Marks Prep School in Southborough, MA, Columbia College and New York Medical College. He did his internship at Baylor University in Houston, TX and residency at Flower of 5th Ave. and Metropolitan Hospitals in New York City. He then served in the Army for two years in France.

Dr. Battles practiced medicine for 50 years in Nyack, NY beginning his practice on September 21st, 1964 and practicing up until the time when his health would no longer permit. He was a compassionate and dedicated physician who placed the well being of his patients above all else.

He loved his time spent with his family in the Catskill Mountains, hunting with his two Gordon Setters, golfing, and hiking. He was also an accomplished pilot, instructor and FAA Examiner.

Dr. Battles was a quiet man. His actions spoke where his words did not, and his words carried the integrity by which he lived. He loved the woods, tending to the trails he skillfully navigated and cleared, that gently wended their way through the Catskill mountains. It was here that he hunted, identified birds and trees and walked with a dog always by his side. This practice is in keeping with the way in which he lived his life. Dr. Battles always created his own path; he used his head and followed his heart; he simply and quietly lived his life. Remington prints in his office, boldly illustrate the untamable spirit of this man who moved in accordance of his own mind and spirit, unafraid of uncharted territories and to blaze his own destiny, while still holding respect and observance for those who came before him.

As many of his patients know, Dr. Battles followed in his father and grandfather’s footsteps of becoming a family doctor, as was illustrated by the photos of his predecessors whose legacy lived on the walls of the examining room. It was here in his private office over looking the Hudson River that Dr. Battles built a bond with his patients that is a truly special thing; time was measured by the needs and care of his patients, marked by an understanding of the course and evolution of the practice of medicine through his father and grandfather. It was clear he loved his patients as much as he loved the practice of medicine itself. There was many a conversation in the red carpeted room that lasted for decades upon decades. One longstanding patient wrote, “I appreciated your care that you gave, both as a doctor and as a person, over the years that have passed. I’m not sure what is more important, the doctoring or the caring, but they were both there, and that is, as it has always been, a rarity. So, thank you again, for a job well done, and for being a physician, in the best meaning of the word.” He was general practitioner known for being a discerning diagnostician with a specialization in cardiology, and with Dr. Battles it was often matters of the heart that he addressed on multiple levels. One of the prints on the wall states “A merry heart doeth good like medicine” (proverbs 17:22) and Dr. Battles knew it. He addressed the health of the spirit as much as he did the health of the body and as Dr. Battles cared for his patients, he knew they too cared deeply for him.

He will be greatly missed.

A private service will be held in the Catskill mountains.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to colon cancer research.

Arrangements by Hannemann Funeral Home, Inc.