Female Doctor Who Grew Up In Millburn Passes Away At Age 101

MILLBURN, NJ — Adele Olney Stevens Vail, MD, age 101, who grew up in Short Hills, passed away on Thanksgiving Day after a brief illness. She was most recently living in Ignacio, Colo.

When Dr. Vail, a graduate of Columbia Medical School, married another Columbia Medical School graduate in 1946 — her late husband William Vail, MD — the New York Times reported:

<blockquote>

DR. ADELE STEVENS MARRIED IN JERSEY;

Attended by Six at Wedding to Dr. William Davis Vail in Church at Short Hills

FATHER ESCORTS BRIDE

She Wears Ivory Satin Gown —

Couple Are Graduates of Columbia Medical School

</blockquote>

Dr. Vail was born on May 29, 1919 in New York, N.Y. the eldest daughter of Stoddard M. and Marion O. Stevens of Short Hills.

She was a physician (in New Jersey) and since 1984 an actively retired, "life-affirming person whose many years were celebrated by all who knew her," according to an obituary that was submitted to Millburn Patch.

She is predeceased by husband William D. Vail, MD and son Christopher D. Vail; is survived by son Stoddard "Todd" Vail (Ruth Minkoff Vail) of Pittsford, N.Y.; daughter Hope McK. Vail (Debra Walker) of Ignacio, Colo.; and grandson Blair William Vail of Minneapolis, Minn.

Christian service at graveside and interment will be at a future date in Florida Mesa Pioneer Cemetery, Durango, Colo.

Those who wish to make memorial gifts in celebration of Adele’s life may do so with donations to:
San Juan Symphony, 528 C Main Avenue, Durango, Colo. 81301; Third Avenue Arts, P.O. Box 1383, Durango, Colo., 81302; or La Plata Open Space Conservancy, P.O. Box 1651, Durango, Colo., 81302.

(As a footnote, an internet search shows that she appears on the society page of a 1942 issue of the Millburn and Short Hills Item, noting that she and her three friends were entertained at her parents' Windmere Terrance home that weekend, along with sister Katharine, who was attending Vassar.)

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