Posted: Jun 23, 2014
Dederick, known as "Doc," attended local schools in Oradell, N.J., including Hackensack High School, then went on to Roanoke College and, after graduating, the Medical College of Virginia, where he obtained an M.D. in 1942.
Dederick was inducted into the Roanoke College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976. During his athletic career at Roanoke, he played four years of basketball, four years of baseball and three years of tennis. He was a member of the "Five Smart Boys" basketball team that in 1939, earned a trip to the NIT in New York City and finished the season with a 21-3 record.
In baseball, he was an outstanding pitcher, nicknamed "Little Iron Man" for a no-hit game against the Naval Apprentice School.
Although he was an all-around athlete, Dederick found his true passion in the game of golf. During his lifetime, he was a member of Arcola Country Club, Pine Valley Golf Club, Country Club of Florida and St. Andrews Club in Florida. His achievements ranged from seven holes-in-one, winning seven club championships, numerous senior wins and earning a spot on the United States Senior International Team.
From 1943 to 1946, Dederick was enlisted in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy, serving on the USS Dover and U.S. Naval hospitals. Following his discharge, he entered a four-year surgical fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., after which he became a member of the American Medical Association, the Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Fellow of the International College of Surgeons.
In 1950, Dederick began his private practice of General Surgery in Hackensack, N.J. He was an attending surgeon at Hackensack Medical Center, and for 15 years served as the Director of Surgery at Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood, N.J.
In 1989, he retired to Gulf Stream, Fla. with his wife, Mary Elizabeth.
Dederick is survived by wife Mary Elizabeth "Mep," who was his college sweetheart. They enjoyed 73 wonderful years of marriage, traveling the world together and creating a beautiful family, including son Gerald F. Dederick III, of Louisiana; daughters Susan Dederick and Barbara Cherry, of Connecticut; four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters.
The funeral service with military honors will be private.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Country Club of Florida Scholarship Foundation.
