On October 30, 2018, J. David Carey, M.D., died peacefully at his home in Dearborn, Michigan, surrounded by his wife and four children.

David started his remarkable life on April 13, 1939 on a pig farm in Wilmington, Ohio.  Diagnosed at birth with a rare condition that restricted blood circulation in his right leg, most doctors were certain that he would lose his leg, and that related health complications would be prematurely fatal.  Neither happened.

Instead, David starred on the Wilmington High School basketball team and as a shot-putter on the track team.  He attended The Ohio State University, where he finished the pre-med program in three years.  Before graduating, he sent a telegram to his parents, which hangs to this day on his office wall: "Mother and Dad, made medical school.  Love, David."

After completing medical school at Ohio State and obtaining the second-highest board scores in Ohio, David began a 50-year career and legacy in the Ophthalmology Department at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.  When he started, the department was made up of two people: David and his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Cornelius McCole.  The two laid a groundwork for expansion, and their vision played a pivotal role in turning Henry Ford Ophthalmology into the renowned and ubiquitous institution it is now.  Most importantly, in his 25 years as residency director, David trained several generations of ophthalmologists, who have gone on to have their own illustrious careers.

In what leisure time he had, David loved barbershop music, and he sang in multiple quartets over four decades with his lifelong friend, Dick Barron.  He also loved his cottage on Lake St. Clair ("The Dash"), rye manhattans (dark, with two cherries), and Ohio State football.

Above all, he loved his family, and his family loved him.  Surviving are his wife, Constance; four children, Lynn (Ken) Bank, Tim (Kim) Carey, Alison (Michael) Incardone, and Jennifer (Jason) Schneider; 11 grandchildren; and former wife, Phyllis Mizak (mother of Lynn, Tim, and Alison).  Preceding him in death are his parents, Rendel and Elizabeth Carey, and his brother, Ron Carey.