Prominent Ortho Doctor A. John Elliot Dies at 88

The family of the uniquely accomplished orthopedic doctor A. John Elliot, M.D., has, with great sadness, announced his recent passing. Born to an Italian immigrant family as Amerigo John Eleuteri on April 3, 1933, Elliot is survived by his wife Judith, daughters Cassie and Sharon, son-in-law Tom, and stepson Trowbridge, and predeceased by his son Robert.

A child of the Great Depression, Elliot’s parents chose to have only one child so as to pour all resources into his education and future. His father Americus (Mike) and mother Theresa envisioned a bright future for their son, with Theresa telling Elliot from childhood that he would be a surgeon and working hard to provide piano lessons “to strengthen his hands.” Elliot was, in fact, valedictorian at Trenton High School, where he gave a passionate and well-received speech critiquing McCarthyism.

Rare for a public school student, Elliot subsequently attended Princeton University, where he bonded with friends at Phi Beta Kappa and graduated with a pre-med degree in 1955. He then attended medical school at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. Elliot graduated with the class of 1959 and entered into a surgery internship at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 1960-1961, followed by an ortho residency at Yale University from 1961-1964. He chose to change his last name to Elliot during his medical residency because when called over the loudspeaker, the attendants often said “Elliot” rather than “Eleuteri,” either from an inability or an unwillingness to articulate his actual surname.

Elliot was often top of the class and was able to study through scholarships because of it, fueling his lifelong desire to give opportunities back to the communities he served.

Along with his wife at the time, Stephanie Hilstrom, Elliot settled his family in Westerly, Rhode Island, due to the Italian American community presence and the proximity to the ocean, which Elliot enjoyed.

Elliot was both a gifted ortho surgeon and diagnostician, with a tendency to uncover missed conditions in his patients. He often accepted barter as payment, filling his family home with soups, wines, baked goods and even a patient-constructed dock outside his Avondale home.

Elliot became Chief of Staff as well as Chief of Surgery at Westerly Hospital. He was also at one time an Assistant Clinical Professor of Orthopedics at Yale University. Elliot was often called upon as a testifying expert physician due to his ability to clearly explain complex medical concepts.

As a passionate, lifelong learner, Elliot also attended Cambridge College, UK in the early 1980s to study arthroscopy, then brought his learning to the Westerly Community. In 1986, he was a visiting professor at West China Medical University in Chengdu. He was, in fact, named Professor Emeritus by West China Medical University this past year.

Elliot enjoyed duck hunting with dear friend Steve Fargo and his beloved dog Misty during those years. John also enjoyed fly fishing in both saltwater and freshwater with his wife Judy. Elliot was a Misquamicut Club member and competed in a variety of tennis and golf tournaments even in more recent years. He also loved to sail and was a member of the Watch Hill Yacht Club, and especially loved the annual Bermuda Race. A true Renaissance Man, Elliot was also involved in local community politics, was a regular editorial contributor to the Providence Journal, and even ran for Congress in 1984.

John and Judy traveled extensively over the years in both the American West as well as Europe. Elliot loved opera and to dance, despite several incidents of twirling his dance partners into live band members over the years.

In 2015, he and his wife moved to Lakewood Ranch, Florida, near Sarasota, where he read prolifically and dove into writing and self-publishing a historical novel, “The Last Trumpet.” Even in recent years, Dr. Elliot’s lifelong love of scholarship and curiosity remained well and alive. He will be missed by family, friends and former patients and colleagues alike.