Parker M. Seymour, 66, ER doctor

Parker McLean Seymour, 66, of Chestnut Hill, an emergency room physician at Chestnut Hill Hospital for 30 years, died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Tuesday at his home.

Dr. Seymour grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and spent summers boating and sailing on Lake Erie. He planned to be an engineer, like his father and grandfather, but in his junior year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, he decided to be a physician, said his wife, Evelyn Berry Seymour.

He earned a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Toledo and a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University, and interned at Chestnut Hill Hospital.

From 1971 to 1973, Dr. Seymour served as a Navy doctor in the Mediterranean aboard the Inchon, a Marine helicopter transport.

After his discharge, he joined the emergency room staff at Chestnut Hill Hospital. He retired from the emergency room when he became ill in 2002, but continued as president of Chestnut Hill Emergency Associates.

Some of his friends nicknamed him "Dr. Safety," his wife said, because, having treated all kinds of injuries in the ER, he would lecture on the proper use of power tools and how to handle sharp instruments - and reminded everyone to buckle up in the car.

Dr. Parker and his wife had a vacation home in Ocean Gate, N.J. Though he could no longer sail, she said, he enjoyed sitting on the front porch with his binoculars and a portable marine radio. He would observe activity on the Toms River, including his two sons sailing by on their boats.

In addition to his wife of 27 years, Dr. Parker is survived by his sons, Peter and Michael.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the Epiphany Chapel at Chestnut Hill Academy, 500 W. Willow Grove Ave., Philadelphia 19118, to which donations may be sent for the Parker M. Seymour Memorial Fund.