Peter H. Gott

LAKEVILLE — Peter H. Gott, 77, of Porter Street in Lakeville, died June 13, 2012, at his home following a six-year battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was born June 8, 1935, in Scarsdale, N.Y., son of the late Lydia (McAdam) and Rodney Cleveland Gott.He was a 1957 graduate of Princeton University in New Jersey, where he completed a postgraduate course in psychology before receiving his medical degree at Tulane University in New Orleans, La. He interned at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and completed his residency in internal medicine at St. Luke’s Hospital at the edge of New York’s Spanish Harlem.Following his formal training, he migrated to Lakeville, a town he loved at first sight. He took great pleasure from the connections he forged with the thousands of delightful and delightfully cantankerous patients he saw over the years, many of whom became his dearest friends. He retired from his chosen profession exactly 40 years from the day he set up practice.In the early 1980s, he began writing a bi-weekly medical column for The Lakeville Journal. His popularity skyrocketed following three back-to-back columns that poked fun at doctors, himself included. The Poughkeepsie Journal didn’t appreciate the sense of humor so often reflected in his writing, nor did several doctors in the local medical society. The New York Times picked up on their criticism of his tongue-in-cheek dispatches; television spots followed, CBS carried the story on The Evening News, and the rest is history. He went on to become the most famous syndicated medical columnist in the country, receiving 2,500 letters weekly.Peter was a ranked tennis player, a writer, jazz pianist, poet and sports car enthusiast. He was constantly seen biking through the Berkshires clad in swim trunks, sneakers and his red helmet. His greatest fondness was for his family. He leaves his sons, Benjamin of Fairfield, Conn., Christopher of Houston, Texas, and Geoffrey of Lakeville; his granddaughter, Morgan of Lakeville; his stepdaughter, Beth Waitkus of Berkeley, Calif.; and two brothers, Rodney of Palm Springs, Calif., and Alan of Milton, Vt.He was past president of the Litchfield County Medical Association and the medical director of both Salisbury School and The Hotchkiss School, having worked at the latter for 33 years before he retired. He was also a member of the Connecticut State Medical Society; a former chief of staff at Sharon Hospital; and medical staff member of Noble Horizons, Sharon Health Care Center and Geer Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Dr. Gott published four books: “No House Calls,” “Summer Windows of ’Sconset,” his New York Times bestseller “No Flour, No Sugar Diet” in 2008 and a follow-up, “No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook” in 2009. Memorial donations may be sent to the Lakeville Hose Company, PO Box 1969, Lakeville, CT 06039 or OWL’s Kitchen, PO Box 705, Lakeville, CT 06039. At his request, a celebration of life, the location and date not set at press time, will be announced. A private service will be held at the convenience of the family.