Dr. Julian H. Sacks, 85, of Whitefield, died peacefully with his beloved wife Marie by his bedside at Massachusetts General Hospital on May 18. Julian was a loyal son, a devoted and supportive husband and loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
Born in the Bronx, N.Y. to Louis and Mollie Sacks on Jan. 28, 1930, he grew up with his parents and his sister, Selma, in Bayside, Queens, N.Y., worked after school in his father’s gas station and graduated from Bayside High School. He attended NYU and graduated from Queens College.
As a child Julian showed a unique gift in art. Though his passion was to pursue a career as an artist, he chose instead to heed his father’s advice and became a doctor. He attended the University of Geneva Medical School in Switzerland, returning to New York for approximately a year where he worked as a lab assistant at Columbia University. It was there that he met and fell in love with Marie Luisetti; he took her back to Geneva as his wife in September of 1956 and graduated from the University of Geneva with a medical degree in 1958. They returned to New York with their two sons, Jonathan and Daniel. Julian completed a medical internship at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, a residency in Psychiatry at Boston State Hospital and in Child Psychiatry at Judge Baker Children’s Center in Boston. The birth of a daughter, Laura Beth, completed the family.
Julian practiced in Boston at Boston State Hospital, Beth Israel Hospital, Newton Mental Health Center and in his own private practice as a child psychiatrist. In 1974 the family moved to Whitefield, where he practiced at Mid Coast Mental Health Clinic in Rockland, Augusta Mental Health Institute (later Riverview), MaineGeneral Hospital, Maine Medical Center and Jackson Brooks Institute in Portland, as well as in private practice.
Upon retiring in 1994 Julian was able to launch the career that he always wanted as an artist. Since that time he enjoyed many rich years traveling all over the world with his wife, painting and visiting their many friends, relatives, children and grandchildren. His paintings have been exhibited at Tidemark Gallery in Waldoboro, Salt Water Gallery in Pemaquid, Boothbay Regional Art Federation (BRAF) in Boothbay Harbor, Maine Art Gallery in Wiscasset, Harlow Gallery in Hallowell, Round Top Center for the Arts and River Arts Gallery in Damariscotta, Caldbeck Gallery in Rockland, and Atelier Meerkatze in Konigswinter, Germany. He taught painting at Senior College at the University of Maine in Augusta. He also enjoyed painting with the Plein Air Painters and drawing with the Whitefield drawing group. An exhibit of his paintings is planned at the Damariscotta River Grill beginning July 29.
He is survived by and will be greatly missed by his wife of 58 years, Marie; sister, Selma Cohen of Ann Arbor, Mich.; children, Jonathan and wife Winonah of Palmyra, Daniel and wife Lisa of Palermo, and Laura Morris and husband Matthew of Jefferson City, Mo.; grandchildren, Aaron Sacks, Marianne House and husband Kevin, David Sacks and fiancée Reema Mahatma, Susannah Sacks, Benjamin Morris, Stephen Sacks, Angelo Sacks, Joshua Morris, Isaac Sacks and Caleb Sacks; and great-grandchildren, Sammy, Abby and Lydia House.
A memorial of his life will be held at 10 a.m., Thurs., June 11 at Temple Beth El, 3 Woodlawn St., Augusta.
Donations may be made in his name to the Good Shepherd Food Bank or to a charity of your choice.
