Louis M. Reich (1945-2025)

 

Louis passed away on January 3. He is survived by his wife Susan, son Sam, daughter Trude Reich Bate, and six grandchildren. His daughter-in-law, Ilana Reich sent us the news.

 

Louis came to Princeton from Riverdale, NY in the Bronx and the Horace Mann School. At Princeton, he majored in Germanic Languages and Literature, joined Campus Club, and was active in the Glee Club. He roomed with Steve Duback, John Brunner, and Bob Chester.

 

After Princeton, Louis received his MD from the U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and his psychiatric residency was at Yale. His military service was in the Air Force as a Major in the Medical Corps at Keesler AFB, MS, 1974–76. Louis describes his subsequent life in New London, CT and Cary, NC in the 55th reunion essay below.

 

Louis wrote the following to Jon Holman in response to a 2020 class birthday card.

Regarding my profile let me provide you with information that may be helpful.
 
I was one of five classmates who graduated from Horace Mann School in NYC. (Bob Chester, Neil Bloomfield, Carlos Quijano, Ted Werblin are the other 4.)
 
I was one of only 3 classmates who majored in Germanic Languages and Literature. (Andy Zimmerman and Lathrop "Larry" Johnson were the other two.)
 
The summer between our sophomore and junior year Dana Hershey, Tim Smith and I, along with Will Parker '65, traveled together throughout Italy and Switzerland. The month before we each had summer jobs at various German/Austrian companies through positions arranged by the German Department.
 
I am one of ten classmates who matriculated at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. (As a point of interest, Penn was the first medical school established in the United States-- 1765.) Dana Hershey and I roomed together our first year at Penn.

Nassau Herald

55 Reunion Essay

In 1976, after completing my two years in the Air Force Medical Corps, my wife Susan and our two children, Trude (dob 1972) and Sam (dob 1975) moved to New London, CT where I was in the private, solo practice of psychiatry until my retirement in 2010. Through my training I developed expertise in inpatient psychiatry which resulted in a practice slanted towards the seriously ill.
 
I met Susan in 1968 during my third year of medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. She was a French major at Bryn Mawr College who had just returned from her junior year in Paris, France. We were married a year later. While I interned at the now defunct Philadelphia General Hospital, Susan went on to receive an MBA from Penn’s Wharton School. She worked off and on for a number of years at Sonalysts and the CT Municipal Electric Cooperative. However, during our children’s formative years she was predominately a homemaker. During my last ten years of practice, Susan managed my office.
 
Wanting to be close to the hospital, we lived in the southern tip of New London in a house with a sizeable yard overlooking Long Island Sound. As you may remember, New London ls a small city with inner city problems and high property taxes.
 
I don’t miss New London and I don’t miss work.
 
Our children are in their forties. While both are molecular biologists, Trude (pronounced Trudie) does not work, but volunteers her time in the community sitting on a few boards.
 
She is married with one daughter, Karen Alice (“Kali”) age 14. We moved directly next door to Trude in Cary, NC when we left CT. Our son Sam lives in Miami Beach, FL where he develops pharmaceutical startups. Sam has so far had success with his work and I hope it continues. He is married with five children ranging in age from 13 to 6.
 
In order to keep our children close by we purchased a slope side townhouse on Mount Snow, VT in 1989 which we kept for 15 years. Susan and I became competent skiers while our kids became experts. Most winters we would also take a week or two to ski out west. This January Susan and I went to Snowmass with Sam’s family. Skiing with 5 grandchildren was a thrill.
 
At Princeton I was “a weenie in the libe”. Does anyone else admit to that? But my goal was to be accepted to medical school. Medical school taught me that the sedentary nature of my work was unhealthy, so in my early thirties I started jogging which I continue to this day. Three times a week I jog 4 miles. The other 3 days I go to a gym to work out. I am also active in our synagogue where I often lead services. A Glee Club trained voice has been most helpful in this regard.
 
I will, next, look through photos and send what I find. I only hope that I haven’t bored you to tears.
 

By the way, my motto in retirement is “il dolce far niente.” [The sweetness of doing nothing]

Additional Memories and Tributes

Steve Duback:

Louis was the best man in my wedding in St. Paul Minnesota almost 60 years ago. After Princeton he stayed on the East Coast and I "came home" to Wisconsin to practice law, and so we didn't see each other face to face again except once at our 25th Reunion. I can still see him riding his unicycle around campus, a sight I would never have guessed would lead to his becoming a psychiatrist - or on second thought perhaps I might have guessed as much! 
 

He and his family including his wife Susan were some of the finest people I have ever known.

 

Tim Smith:

I’m very sorry to hear about Louie’s passing! I always aspired to catch up with him at Reunions, but for whatever reason often missed the opportunity. It makes me even sadder to know that he has departed from us.  
 
My most memorable experience with Louie was in the summer of 1964 when Louie, Dana (aka “Donuts”- a nickname given to him by Louie!) Hershey, Will Parker ’65, and I decided to travel together in Dana’s car after we had served through Prof. Viktor Lange’s German summer program abroad as interns at different companies, banks, hospitals, etc. throughout West Germany. At the end of our internships all of us were feeling quite proud of our ability to communicate in German and decided it would be nice to meet in Frankfurt and then drive to Switzerland in order to show off our German proficiency and enjoy the beautiful scenery there. Louie was returning to Germany for the first time since his parents left there prior to WWII to the same locale near Frankfurt where his family had been living.  
 
Between the time that I ended my job in Germany and met the three others in Frankfurt, I traveled to Copenhagen for several days to visit the American Field Service student from my high school and his family. On returning to Frankfurt, I told the three others about the wonderful time I had in Denmark with my Danish friend and his many beautiful Danish girl friends, which convinced them almost immediately to change all of our travel plans and drive to Copenhagen instead.  Louie was one of the strongest supporters of our change in plans and I must say he had a memorable time in Copenhagen surrounded by my Danish friend’s lovely girl friends!
 

I remember that in the course of our trip Louie had serious discussions with the other three of us about his concerns regarding the presence of anti-semitism in Germany at that time because his family were refugees from Hitler’s Holocaust. While being welcomed in Germany by the same people whom his family knew before WWII, he wasn’t always sure about their sincerity and genuineness in welcoming him back after the Holocaust. He was always gracious, authentic, and hilarious in story telling and a joy to be with. While we didn’t see each other frequently after graduation, whenever we did connect we would retell our story and laugh about the famous U turn made in Germany to proceed to Denmark!

 

Robert Chester:

Louis and I came to Princeton together with three other classmates from the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY. He and I roomed together our Freshman year, along with Carlos Quijano (also from HM) on the top floor of Pyne Hall in a single (large) bedroom. He was on a pre-Med track and I was pursuing my pre-Law studies, so we had few academic interests in common.

 

After our first year, we saw little of each other on campus and drifted apart. What I remember best is that he was a writer at HMS, and when I was editor of the literary magazine he wrote this short story, No Sweat Policy. [The story may remind you of some a classmate or friend or two]

 

Dana Hershey:

It is with profound sadness that I share these remembrances of Louis Reich, my dear friend from our Princeton years and my roommate at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
 
Louis once took me to the New York City apartment where he grew up. There, I had the privilege of meeting his parents, Jewish refugees from Germany and survivors of the Holocaust. I vividly recall the small, dimly lit rooms—spaces that felt like a preserved fragment
of their German past. The apartment resonated with their thick accents, the aroma of Yiddish cuisine, and their unwavering devotion to family. In this humble setting, Louis stood as their radiant beacon, someone who had transcended the struggles of immigrant life, excelling in school, gaining acceptance to an elite university, and embracing the wider world with boundless curiosity, confidence, and humor.
 
Louis was, in every sense, a force of nature. Though of modest stature, his booming voice could command a room. He reveled in observing the quirks of his friends, teasing us affectionately and often in exaggerated, theatrical tones. As one of his close companions, became “Donuts” in his roster of nicknames, a title he pronounced with a mixture of affection and amusement. He particularly enjoyed my West Virginia roots, often mimicking my expressions, such as “There are no flies on that guy” (for a dynamic individual) or “He paid m
no mind” (for someone who ignored me).
 
Though he never pursued athletics at Princeton, Louis later embraced fitness with gusto. When we skied together in Vail years later, he outpaced me with ease, a testament to his newfound discipline as a runner.
 
Social and vivacious, Louis possessed an unparalleled determination in his search for a soulmate. One of his more flamboyant strategies involved riding a unicycle around the campuses of the Seven Sisters schools hoping to attract young ladies worthy of his affection
Little did he know then that his true match, Susan—a graceful and talented woman who bore a striking resemblance to Audrey Hepburn—awaited him in the years ahead.
 
Tim Smith has written a beautiful account of our post-sophomore-year European adventure, highlighting Louis’s bold, energetic, and comedic personality. Our shared experiences during that trip, and throughout our friendship, are memories I will always treasure .
When Louis invited me to be his roommate in Philadelphia for medical school, it turned out to be one of the most fortuitous decisions of my life. Louis’s practicality, organization, and meticulous habits were contagious. Under his influence, I became tidier, developed a healthier diet, cultivated a deeper appreciation for classical music, and—perhaps most significantly started changing my underwear more often!
 

I am profoundly grateful for the gift of Louis’s friendship and feel an empty space in my soul at his loss.

 

If you have photos or memories that you wish to share, please send them to the '66 Memorial Team (66_MemorialTeam@tiger1966.org). We will add them to this page.