Dr. David Mark Posner, a longtime emergency room physician, passed away last Sunday, Jan. 18. The Ellicott City resident and Temple Isaiah congregant was 80.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Posner graduated from Hofstra University, where he studied biology and spent summers working as a clinical lab technician. In 1972, he earned his medical degree at Kansas City University.
After medical school, he joined the U.S. Public Health Service, interning at a hospital in Staten Island, New York. Posner became board-certified in family medical practice and opened offices in Baltimore, Frederick and Howard counties.
Later, he transitioned to emergency medicine and practiced at medical centers across the nation, particularly in remote communities.
“He found emergency medicine exciting and fulfilling,” his family wrote on the website of Sol Levinson & Bros. “His passion for patient care stuck with him throughout his life and he continued practicing at urgent cares and local medical facilities. …
“He was a fine physician who not only treated patients but loved getting to know them as people. He was caring and compassionate. … He felt for the injustices of the world and believed in helping others, regardless of their circumstance.”
A lifelong student, Posner earned his master of business administration degree from Loyola University Maryland in 1991.
In his spare time, Posner enjoyed the arts, traveling, dining out, keeping up with current events and playing the drums. He was also a collector of fine art and wines.
In addition, Posner was a certified pilot.
“His adventurous spirit led him to get a pilot’s license in medical school,” his family wrote. “He owned a Cessna for many years and liked going on golfing trips with his friends, taking his kids to camp, or just hopping down to Ocean City for a hamburger. He even blended his passion for travel and medicine, serving as the passenger physician for the Holland American Cruise Line.”
Posner is survived by his wife of 55 years, Suzanne; his children, Nicole, Eric (Amanda) and Andrea Kate (Joshua); his six grandchildren, Alexandra, Roman, Miles, Asher, Perry and Max; and his brother, Paul and sister-in-law, Barbara.
He was predeceased by his parents, Anne and Herbert Posner.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, Jan. 23, at 10:30 a.m. at Temple Isaiah, 12200 Scaggsville Road in Howard County’s Fulton community. Interment will be at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Cemetery, 318 Berrymans Lane Cemetery in Reisterstown.
The family will receive guests following the interment service at Temple Isaiah until 4 p.m. on Friday. The family will continue to sit shiva on Saturday at 4348 Wild Filly Court in Ellicott City beginning at 4 p.m., with a service at 7 that evening.
Contributions in Posner’s memory may be sent to Temple Isaiah, 12200 Scaggsville Road in Fulton, Maryland 20759, or the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, Maryland 21741.
“At his core, David was incredibly generous,” wrote his family. “He was always giving and ready to help his family or a friend in need. He was one of a kind, loved life and taking in the beauty of the world. He will be dearly missed.”
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