DR. ASHER B. CAREY, JR.

Dr. Asher B. Carey, 89, died peacefully in his sleep on November 24, 2008 in
Seaford. 

Dr. Carey lived and practiced dentistry in Selbyville, where many people
visited his office at the corner of Main and McCabe Streets.

Dr. Carey was born in Roxana, to Valeria May (Evans) Carey and Asher B. Carey,
Sr. in 1919.  He graduated from Selbyville High School in 1937 and enrolled in
an accelerated academic program at Washington College (Chestertown, MD) and at
the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, the dental school of the University of
Maryland.  In 1943, he was awarded a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree
and the Maryland Oral Surgery Award of 1943.  This award was given to the
member of the graduating class who did outstanding work in oral surgery during
his dental education.  He was elected into the national honorary dental
fraternity, Omicron Kappa Upsilon. In 1943 he was commissioned into the Dental
Corps of the United States Army Air Force and served through World War II until
1946 attaining the rank of Major. During the war, he treated pilots at the Army
Air Force training base in Dodge City, KS before they were deployed abroad.
After the war ended, he served at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  Along with
Army personnel, his patients included the late Margaret Truman, daughter of
then President Harry Truman.

Dr. Carey married his high school sweetheart, Pauline Bunting of Williamsville,
DE, at the US Army Air Force Base Chapel in Dodge City, KS in 1943.  Dr. and
Mrs. Carey celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary last July.

After the war, Dr. and Mrs. Carey returned to Selbyville, and he opened his
dental practice in 1946.  His practice ranged from preventive and restorative
treatments to dental surgeries performed in his office with the assistance of
local physicians who administered the anesthesia.  Dr. Carey practiced
dentistry for 47 years until he retired in 1990.  His patients came from near-
by towns in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia as well as from the greater
Delmarva Peninsula, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia.  In recognition
of his outstanding and meritorious service to dentistry, Dr. Carey was inducted
as a Fellow in the Royal Society of Health, the American College of Dentists,
and the International College of Dentists.  He was a life member and former
President of the Delaware State Dental Society.  He belonged to the American
College of Dentists and to the American Association of Dental Examiners.  He
was a Life- Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, an international honorary
dental organization, and a member of the Royal Society for the Promotion of
Health.

Dr. Carey was a civic and community leader.  He served on the Selbyville Town
Council from 1952-1956 and from 1959-1962 and was elected Mayor of Selbyville
from 1963-1967.  While he was Mayor of Selbyville, the Town brought the first
lawsuit filed under the 1964 Environmental Protection Act winning a landmark
case against a Maryland poultry processing plant that fouled the air in nearby
Delaware communities.  Dr. Carey spearheaded the drive for the fluoridation of
Selbyville Town water that is credited with improving the oral health of
residents particularly the reduction of tooth decay in successive generations
of children. He served on the Town Council of Fenwick Island, DE (from 1958-
1962) where he summered for many years.  The Governor of Delaware appointed Dr.
Carey to the Delaware State Park Commission and to the Board of Delaware State
College (now Delaware State University) in Dover, Delaware where he provided
mouth guards for every member of the college’s football team.  He was
instrumental in having the Howard Pyle Center, a youth services and recreation
center that is located in Roxana, DE, built in Sussex County and later served
on its Board of Directors.  Dr. Carey also served for many years on the Board
of Directors of the Maryland State Bank (later purchased by Wilmington Trust)
in Bishopville, Md. and on the Board of Home Federal Savings and Loan
Association in Millsboro, DE.  Dr. Carey was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of
the Doric Lodge #30 in Millville, Delaware, and a member of the Scottish Rite. 
He was a life member of the Lodge Council Chapter Consistory in the Valley of
Wilmington.   He was an honorary life member of the First Hundred Club of Boumi
Temple A.A.O.N.M.S. of Baltimore, Maryland. He was a life member of the
Selbyville Lions Club and served as its President.  He belonged to the American
Legion and to the Elks.  Dr. Carey was a Methodist and belonged to Salem
Methodist Church in Selbyville where he served on the Board of Trustees and as
Sunday School Superintendent for 15 years.

Dr. Carey often expressed gratitude for the support that he received from his
friends and neighbors when he returned to Delaware after World War II and
opened his dental practice.  He repaid their kindness by donating his time,
talent, and treasure to church, Town, educational institutions, community
service organizations (particularly veterans, firemen and police), and non-
profit organizations especially those conducting medical research in arthritis,
cancer and Alzheimer’s diseases.  He routinely donated his dental services to
indigent patients.  He believed in the power of a formal education and
encouraged young people to take their studies seriously.  With that in mind, he
and his wife donated their Selbyville home to the Selbyville Public Library in
2004.  Their generosity became the catalyst for additional local and state
funds that financed the construction of a 1,700 square foot wing to the Library
that is devoted to youth services.  He remained a life-long learner, read
widely, and was fascinated by the Internet.

Dr. Carey enjoyed the outdoors – ducking, hunting, and fishing aboard his
boat “Doc’s Out” - and reading the Sunday paper in a favorite beach chair.  He
owned several racehorses including a trotter named Novacaine that enjoyed some
success at the track.  For years, he and his wife played contract bridge with
neighbors in a dessert and bridge club.  He was an avid student of the stock
market and read business periodicals extensively while actively managing his
investments.  After retiring, Dr. Carey and his wife enjoyed living in
Deerfield Beach, Fl. until returning to Sussex County.

Dr. Carey is survived by his wife Pauline; daughter, Nancy Carey, Esq. of
Nahant, Ma.; two sons, Dr. Asher Carey, III of Dover, and Dr. Andrew Carey of
Falmouth, Me.; and four grandchildren: Adrienne, Asher, Ben and Amanda.

The Funeral Service for Dr. Carey was held Saturday, November 29, at the Watson
Funeral Home, Delaware. Interment in Roxana Cemetery, Roxana.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Dr. Asher
and Pauline Carey Youth Services Center, Selbyville Public Library, Selbyville,
DE, 19975 or to the Georgetown Branch Office of the Delaware Chapter of the
Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 625, Georgetown, DE  19947. Messages of
condolence may be sent c/o Watson Funeral Home, PO BOX 125, Millsboro, DE 19966
or via www.watsonfh.com.  302-934-7842

Source: Coastal Point