JOSEPH A. BESECKER, MD, 85, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania died peacefully Sunday August 4th, 2019. He was surrounded by his loving family and dear friends who saw his courageous battle come to an end from complications of cancer of the brain.

Dr. B or "Poppy Doc" as he was affectionately called was a beloved pediatrician who started his practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, caring for thousands of children and comforting countless more parents. Prior to starting his practice Dr. B graduated from Penn State University, which was located not far from his hometown of Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, where he lived with his mother (Viola), father (Albert) and three brothers, Edwin, Donald and William. A lifelong fan of Penn State University, all of their academic and athletic accomplishments gave Dr. B great joy. Upon graduation, then just "Joe Besecker" moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend and graduate from Jefferson Medical School. It was there that he met a beautiful and spunky nursing student named Helen (Lynne) Fetsko. They fell hard for each other and married while both were finishing their medical training.

After an internship at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, Dr. B, Lynne, and his first three children, Jeb, Eric and Suzanne, moved to Annapolis, Maryland where he served at the US Naval Academy, living on base. There Dr. B attained the rank of lieutenant commander and the family grew by two when twins Kristin and Karla were born. The family of seven then moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where Dr. B set up his medical practice on N. Lime Street next to the Lancaster General Hospital where he practiced his craft of care and became Chief of Pediatrics. More recently, Dr. B served on the Board of Directors of Lancaster General Hospital and was named the 2006 recipient of the Henry S. Wentz, MD award for outstanding contribution to Lancaster General Hospital, graduate medical education and the Lancaster County community. The family originally lived in downtown Lancaster in a beautiful home on Orange Street where their children could walk to their school – Saint Anthony of Padua, where many of the family still worship today – and play in Musser Park directly behind their home.

Dr. B and family subsequently moved to Marietta Avenue where they live till this day. It was a home of love and lively entertainment, hosting parties and events that embraced all of the community. Dinner parties, family reunions and many cast parties for their beloved Fulton Theatre were all hallmarks of their time there. After 30+ years of pediatric practice Dr. B made the difficult decision to retire, leaving his practice and all the beloved doctors, nurses and other teammates at Roseville Pediatrics. His passion for the Roseville team ran deep for them and them for him as well, as exhibited by the many visitations he received post retirement and especially in the hospital as he battled his illness.

After his retirement Dr. B took time to enjoy one of his favorite passions from his early youth and that was fly-fishing. Dr. B was an avid and proficient fly-fisherman and travelled the world perfecting his art, traveling to far exotic places as well as enjoying the tremendous nature right in his own area. He joined the Donegal Fish Conservatory and loved to participate in their causes, helping to protect and preserve waterways, stocking fish and most of all he enjoyed working on the annual kids fishing derby. One of Dr. B's most favorite places to travel, however, was to HomeWaters Club at Spruce Creek, Pennsylvania near his childhood home in Centre County. His membership to HomeWaters brought him so much joy and camaraderie and he got to visit there on one of his last trips before his hospitalization. Fly-fishing and fellowship: there was nothing better to Dr. B.

After a short time in retirement, Dr. B accepted the challenge from his oldest son Jeb and joined Emerald Asset Management. He thrived and excelled as a life sciences analyst, working alongside other analysts and portfolio managers and other teammates in research. Dr. B enjoyed the office atmosphere and was a champion NCAA pool prognosticator, also running the office fantasy football draft. He loved Emerald and Emerald loved him back! After his passing the family received countless emails and texts of respect and two of particular notes came from his family at Emerald. One read "Dr. B was a truly remarkable man. Very smart, patient, thoughtful, friendly, and caring. It was an honor to consider him a friend and a teammate." Another one read "Dr. B taught by example and by leadership since everyone looked up to him. He left his mark on so many and cannot be replaced. His legacy as a doctor, a family man, analyst, and a citizen will be with all for many generations."

At Dr. B's core he was a "family man" – it is during this time he became "Poppy Doc" or just "Poppy." Poppy, as most parents and grandparents, adored his children but especially his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Whether it was a birthday, a wedding or a school event, Poppy and Gibby (Lynne) beamed with pride over their family and their accomplishments. Being a physician, however, he was also the family go-to-guy for almost anything but especially health issues. It can be said very easily that anyone would be hard-pressed to ever question a diagnosis that Poppy Doc rendered and that included his own self-diagnosis near the end of his life. That loving and caring could perhaps explain the fact that during his extended hospital stay at the end of his life he had a family member, in-laws or close friends with him almost every hour, 24/7. That was made even more challenging as his three daughters, Suzanne, Kristin and Karla and son-in-law, Joe, took care of him and the love of his life – his wife Lynne as well – as she dealt with her own illnesses. His sons Jeb and Eric pitched in as well, and loving sons'- and daughters' in-law were family treasures, helping out in countless ways. Poppy's end-of-life was full of love for him and all he was, and helping was viewed by his family as the least that they could do for his heroic life. Winston Churchill once said "meeting Dr. Besecker was like opening your first bottle of champagne – knowing him was like drinking it." (Ok that was a quote about FDR but it applies to Dr. B even better.)

Dr. B / Dad / Poppy / Poppy Doc is survived by the love of his life, Helen (Lynne) Besecker, with whom his world revolved around. Additionally, he is survived by his five children and 13 grandchildren: son Jeb, his wife Martha and their children Jeb, John, Liam and Lily; son Eric, his wife Susanne and their children Delaney and Haleigh; daughter Suzanne; daughter Kristin Gaenzle, her husband Joseph and children Erika, Andrew and Joseph; and daughter Karla Goldbach, her husband John and their children Julia, Kurt, Erik and Mark; as well as five great grandchildren; and countless co-workers, friends and families that he cared for.

On Poppy's last day he was surrounded by friends and family. His daughter played his favorite music and song "Children of Sanchez" by Chuck Mangione. The song's words reflected on one of Poppy's greatest loves: children. The words that inspired him were as follows: "every child belongs to mankind's family; children are the fruit of all humanity; let them feel the love of all the human race; touch them with the warmth, the strength of that embrace; give me love and understanding. I will thrive; as my children grow my dreams come alive. Those who hear the cries of the children, God will bless; I will always hear the children." Dr. Joseph A. Besecker heard all of God's children – his own – and the many other families he touched and for that he will be fondly remembered and blessed by God!

A viewing and Celebration of Dr. B's Life will be held on Monday, August 12th from 5:30 to 9:00pm at The Emerald Foundation, 2120 Oregon Pike, Lancaster, PA. Refreshments will be served featuring many of his favorite foods and beverages – including his beloved pizza. There will also be a viewing at St. Anthony of Padua Church, 501 E. Orange Street, Lancaster on Tuesday, August 13th from 9:30am to 11:00am, followed by Mass at 11:00am, and by lunch at The Emerald Foundation. Flowers are welcome and the family also encourages donations to The Emerald Foundation, Lancaster Catholic High School or The Fulton Theatre, or any other charity that you know Dr. B would be fond of.