Robert Bruce Greer, III, M.D., 90, of New Oxford, Pennsylvania, died on March 27, 2025 in his home at Cross Keys Village-The Brethren Home Community after battling prostate cancer, congestive heart failure, and Parkinson's disease for many years.

Bob was born on November 28, 1934, in Butler, Pennsylvania, the eldest child of the late Robert Bruce Greer, Jr. and Nancy (Atwell Watson) Greer. He is survived by his beloved wife and caregiver, Barbara A. McCarthy and his brother, John M. Greer (Judy E.). He is also survived by two daughters, Susan K. Greer (DJ Byrne) and Patricia L. Blouch (Jeffrey L. Blouch); two grandchildren, Jeremy L. Blouch and Katelyn M. Radford, daughter of Donald L. Radford; nephew, John M. Greer, Jr. (Pamela S.) and their children, Katherine, Matthew, and Samuel; niece, Julia B. Greer, M.D.; cousin, Alison C. Greer (Padraic C. Kennedy) and their sons, Henry R. and Iain C.; cousin, G. Bruce Greer, Jr. (Nancy D.) and their children, Gordon B. Greer, III, Genevieve, and Fletcher; and his cousin, William Watson.  His devoted sister-in-law, Kerri L. McCarthy also survives him. He was predeceased by his youngest brother, Samuel A. Greer; his first wife, Elizabeth French Greer; and first cousins, Gordon B. Greer (Nancy H.), Kathryn Hall (Dudley A.), and Elizabeth Honse (James A.).

Bob graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire in 1952 and Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania in 1956 where he was inducted into The Phi Beta Kappa Society. In 1960, he received a medical degree cum laude from Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Bob completed his surgical internship in 1961 and one year of a general surgery residency in 1962, both at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Before he began his residency in orthopaedic surgery, he was drafted into the military. As a Captain in the U.S. Army, Bob served at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in the Department of Cellular Physiology.

After completing his military service, Bob began a residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. After completing his residency, he joined the University of Pittsburgh Orthopaedic faculty to collaborate with his mentor, the late Henry Mankin, M.D., who was the head of an orthopaedic research laboratory studying cartilage.

In 1971, Bob was recruited by the late John A. Waldhausen, M.D., the founding chair of Surgery at the Penn State College of Medicine, The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, to be the founding Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery. He was honored to have this opportunity to develop and to build the Orthopaedic program into what has become one of the premier Orthopaedic departments in the United States. He succeeded in building a superb clinical service and an outstanding residency program. He also administrated the former Elizabethtown Hospital and Rehabilitation Center and facilitated its move to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center campus. Prior to his retirement in 1992, he also served as the Associate Dean for Medical Education. Bob cited the establishment of the Penn State Hershey Orthopaedic Residency Program and the Pediatric Orthopaedics service as his major accomplishments. He was an Emeritus Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and a member of The Penn State College of Medicine Emeritus Faculty Organization.

Bob was a leader in orthopaedic professional societies, and he served on the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery as a member and then as president for a total of nine years. He led the Board's efforts to require the re-certification of all Board-certified orthopaedic surgeons in the United States, an important certifying process to ensure the highest levels of competency in orthopaedic surgeons. He was a member of the American Board of Medical Specialties and served on its Executive Committee. He was Editor-in-Chief of The American Journal of Orthopedics (formerly, Orthopaedic Review) and in that capacity, he wrote a monthly editorial that had broad appeal in the orthopaedic world. He was also a peer-reviewer for the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and Orthopaedics. He was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society. He was also a member and Fellow of the American Orthopaedic Association, The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons, The Twentieth Century Orthopaedic Association, The Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society, The Pennsylvania Medical Society, and the Dauphin County Medical Society. He published fifty-two scientific articles and was the Co-Editor of the two-volume textbook, Rob & Smith's Operative Surgery Orthopaedics with his long-time orthopaedic colleague and friend, George Bentley, Ch.M., F.R.C.S., University of London, London, England.

Bob was immensely proud of his Orthopaedic residents and their accomplishments, and he stayed in touch with many of them throughout the years. Special appreciation to Dr. Steven Triantafyllou for the many visits and calls over the years as well as visits, calls, and letters from Drs. Steve Skinner, Nicholas Pandelidis, Douglas Hofmann, Gracia Etienne, William DeMuth, John Frankeny, Gregory Hanks, Bruce Buhr, Craig Fultz, Robert Dahmus, Balint Balog, Spence Reid, Richard Hallock, Thomas Davis, Robert Maurer, and Mark Vrahas. He was grateful for the friendship of Drs. David and Laurel Wiegand, the Waldhausen family, and his former colleague, the late Dr. Edwards Schwentker.

In 2015, The Robert B. Greer, III, M.D. Professorship in Orthopaedic Surgery was established by his former residents and faculty, the Waldhausen family, friends, and family to honor Bob for his years of unwavering service at The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and The Penn State College of Medicine. In 2016, Bob was further honored for his years of service and dedication and received the Cheston M. Berlin Service Award. This award was especially meaningful because it was established by his friend and colleague, Cheston M. Berlin, M.D., who followed Bob's educational path at Haverford College and then Harvard Medical School.

After retirement from the Penn State College of Medicine, Bob worked for a year in a Kaiser Permanente Orthopaedic clinic in Baltimore County, Maryland. He then moved to New Jersey where he served as Medical Director for Howmedica, a global company that made orthopaedic hardware.

In Adams County, Bob served on the Boards of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County in Gettysburg, PA, The Trone Memorial Library in East Berlin, PA, and the Adams County Library System, in Gettysburg, PA.

Bob loved sailing and he and Barbie enjoyed sailing the Chesapeake Bay, New England coastal waters, the Intracoastal Waterway, the coastal waters of Atlantic Canada, and the Caribbean. He loved spending time with his dogs, especially his Airedale terrier, Jeni, and his Welsh terrier, Morgan, and his rescue cats, Tanjee, Jewels, and Tux. He was an avid reader and an enthusiastic birder.

Bob was warm-hearted, kind, and generous. A man of few words, when he had something to say, it was worth hearing. He was unreserved in expressing his thoughts. He had a wonderful sense of humor and especially enjoyed spending leisure time with his family and closest friends, the late Dr. John and the late Marion Waldhausen, the late Rev. Dr. Donald and Marion Mitchell, and the late Dr. Richard Isay. Ever generous, his home was always open and hosted many summer sails and wonderful Thanksgivings.

Bob was most grateful for the excellent medical care that he received from Penn State Health doctors, Edward R. Bollard, M.D., Internal Medicine, and Joseph J. Drabick, M.D., Medical Oncology. The family also thanks LHM Hospice and Social Services, and his devoted and loving caregivers, Jodie Keller, Jean Smith, Dee Dee Fuhrman, and Jolene Shrader.

In keeping with Bob's written request, there will be no public memorial service and no celebration of life service. Services will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Dr. Greer's memory to: The Good Samaritan Fund, The Brethren Home Foundation, 2990 Carlisle Pike, New Oxford, PA  17350 or to the

Orthopaedic Resident Education Fund in Global Health at Penn State Health. Checks should be made payable to Penn State and mailed to University Development, PO Box 852, Hershey, PA  17033 or made online at: engage.pennstatehealth.org/DrGreerMemorial

Bob was so proud of the legacy of the residents that he trained and mentored, among whom are: Drs. Abraham, Bailey, Balog, Barkin, Beane, Bixler, Bowman, Bruno, Bryan, Buchanan, Buhr, Buschmann, Carson, Cummings, Dahmus, D'Arco, Daubert, DeMuth, Dunn, Eshbach, Frankeny, Fultz, Gillespy, Groff, Hallock, Hanks, Haus, Hofmann, Hospodar, Huberman, Johnson, Joyner, Kadsen, Khan, Knapp, Kozar, Levine, Lippe, Martinez, McGeorge, Mihelic, Mira, Morris, Mosier, Nelson, Nichols, Novacheck, O'Donnell, Pandelidis, Poprycz, Reid, Rychak, Schader, Skinner, Stube, Supinski, Triantafyllou, Tymon, Wilson, and Yuska.

His Orthopaedic faculty included Drs. Buchanan, Clark, Gordon, Hanks, Jacobson, Kalenak, Maurer, Schwentker, Segal, Shaw, Vrahas, and Wetzel. Ron Nojunas was his highly-skilled cast technician.

Good Samaritan Fund, c/o The Brethren Home Community
2990 Carlisle Pike, New Oxford PA 17350

engage.pennstatehealth.org/DrGreerMemorial
Web: http://engage.pennstatehealth.org/DrGreerMemorial