QUEENSBURY - Dr. Roger W. Brassel of Queensbury entered into Eternal Rest on June 7, 2023. He was born in Albany on December 3, 1938, the son of the late Philip C. and Elizabeth (Cronin) Brassel.

He was predeceased by his wife, Barbara (Lynch) Brassel, their son, Thomas Clark Brassel, MD, and a brother, Philip C. Brassel, Jr. Dr. Brassel is survived by his daughters: Kate of Pepperell, MA and Beth of Lowell, MA; a brother, Michael Brassel and his wife, Marjorie of Queensbury; sisters: Anne Brassel of North Creek and Mary (Brassel) Zack and her husband, Richard of Forty Fort, PA; many cousins and two generations of nieces and nephews.

Dr. Brassel attended Fordham University, where he completed his Bachelor of Science, Egregia Cum Laude, in 1964 and graduated from McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal in 1967, a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery. The following year he completed an Internship at Albany Medical Center Hospital.

Dr. Brassel served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy where he completed his training in Aerospace Medicine and served as a Flight Surgeon and Naval Aviator in the United States Marine Corps, stationed in Philadelphia, Pensacola and Cherry Point, providing medical care to his flight squadrons, maintaining and often exceeding his mandatory fifteen hours of flying time each month in A-4 Skyhawks and Cougars. In the military he was always called Doc, whether flying or looking after his follow pilots, telling them not to send their families to sick bay, he would make house calls after hours instead.

Following his military service, Dr Brassel completed his Ophthalmology Residency at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals where he was Chief Resident in his final year of training and worked on one of the early applications of clinical ultrasound. He established his medical practice, Glens Falls Eye Associates in 1972, active until his retirement in 2019.

Dr Brassel grew up in North Creek, was a communicant of St. James Church and a graduate of Johnsburg Central School. He loved skiing at the original Gore Mountain, racing slalom and downhill courses with friends, both the young boys and the young girls, playing basketball and baseball at JCS and in summers, boating and waterskiing at the family camp on Balfour Lake. He enjoyed the friendship of many in the north country and beyond.

As a young man, he learned to fly an airplane, loving the open sky throughout his life. His wife, Barbara and son, Tom followed, becoming licensed pilots, with Barbara surprising her husband on her solo flight to the North Creek airport, where landing a plane in a small airfield surrounded by tall trees was always a challenge.

Doc loved his family, loved skiing, flying, traveling, and sailing with them on Lake George and sitting on the lawn at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center during the summer, especially when the New York City Ballet was performing.

He loved taking care of his patients, working with his partners and the staff at Glens Falls Eye Associates and Town & Country Optical as well as across disciplines with his colleagues in the medical community. Above all Doc enjoyed a simple life, loved his family, hard work and friends near and far. His family thanks the physicians and staff at Glens Falls Hospital and the staff at The Glen at Highland Meadows for their compassionate care.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at Our Lady of the Annunciation Church. Visitation will be on Friday evening, June 16, 2023, at the Baker Funeral Home, from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m.