Andrew J. Packer ’72

Andy, an enthusiastic classmate who participated fully in our class events, died at home in Hartford, Conn., Dec. 22, 2024, surrounded by his family.

Andy, from Mount Vernon, N.Y., graduated from Eastchester High School and embraced Princeton. He rowed lightweight crew as a freshman and continued as an upperclassman. He participated in Orange Key, the Karate Club, and was a member of Quadrangle Club. Andy majored in chemistry and received the department’s Senior Prize. He was a member of the Society of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, and Phi Beta Kappa.

He attended Columbia University Medical School and completed an ophthalmology residency at Mass Eye and Ear and a vitreoretinal fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He became a vitreoretinal surgeon and served on the faculty at the University of Iowa and Louisiana State University.

Andy was the president of the American Society of Retina Specialists, president of the Connecticut Society of Eye Physicians, and a recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology Life Achievement Award.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy Drew; sons Jonathan and his wife Eunsung Cho, and D. Jared Packer; brother Leslie Packer and his wife Dana; sister Laura Santarelli; and five nieces and nephews.