Eugene A. Jaeger, 83, psychiatrist

Eugene A. Jaeger, 83, of Devon, a psychiatrist, died of Alzheimer's disease Saturday at home.

A native of Denver, Dr. Jaeger attended the University of Pennsylvania in a Navy program to train officers during World War II. He earned a medical degree and completed an internship at Thomas Jefferson University.

In 1949, he married Henrietta "Penny" Malloy, whom he had met at Penn. The couple lived on the grounds of Norristown State Hospital while he completed a residency in psychiatry and after he joined the staff. In recent years, he was writing a book about their experiences at Norristown,

Five Strolled Into the Cuckoo's Nest

, his wife said. At Norristown Dr. Jaeger trained under Arthur P. Noyes, the hospital's superintendent and author of

Modern Clinical Psychiatry

.

Dr. Jaeger was on the staff of Haverford State Hospital when it opened in 1964 and was a physician in the engineering department at the DuPont Co. in Wilmington for 10 years. He then returned to the Norristown staff, remaining until his retirement in the early 1990s.

Dr. Jaeger also maintained a practice in Devon and was on the staffs of Fairmount Behavioral Health Systems in Roxborough, Paoli Hospital, and Chester County Hospital in West Chester. He was past president of the Chester County Neuropsychiatric Association.

Though his father, James, a renowned brain surgeon, had urged him to follow in his footsteps, Dr. Jaeger preferred to alleviate suffering from mental illness, Penny Jaeger said. He was critical of a legal system that prevented patients from getting care before they became violent or abusive, she said.

Dr. Jaeger enjoyed sailing on Long Beach Island, N.J., and hunting with the Skycastle French Hounds in Chester County. His favorite pastime, his wife said, was collecting artifacts associated with the Founding Fathers and Pennsylvania history.

In addition to his wife, Dr. Jaeger is survived by sons James and Eugene Jr.; a daughter, Lorraine Sterling; and five grandchildren.

The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. David's Church, 763 S. Valley Forge Rd., Wayne.

Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 100 N. 17th St., Philadelphia 19103.