Joseph Washington Price IV was born at Hahneman Hospital in Philadelphia on May 21, 1943 to Joseph Price III, a Philadelphia lawyer and Margaret Ellis Price who was a nurse. He died Dec. 19, 2023 and is survived by his companion, Janie Zaitz, and his only surviving son, Michael David Price, two sisters, Penny Price Lavin, and Kim Price, one brother, Anthony Price as well as many beloved relatives. He was preceded in death by his son Joseph Price V and a brother, Drew Price.
A caring doctor. Humanitarian, and good friend with a heart, Joe attended Penn Charter, Swarthmore College, and received his medical training at Temple Medicine. He started his medical practice in 1972 and, after obtaining a post-doctorate in Medical Engineering at Drexel University, he invented Alpha, a medical records program developed especially for physicians. He had a family practice in Mt Airy for 52 years as a holistic community doctor and held the distinction of being the physician with the longest affiliation with Chestnut Hill Hospital.
He had wide and eclectic interests in history, science, jazz, theater, and enjoyed the Ambler movie theater. He expressed his love of nature as an avid gardener and by traveling. Other interests included going to museums and appreciating the architecture of historical houses. His biggest love however was the wider community and, as a humanitarian and member of First United Methodist Church of Germantown, he provided charitable services as a medical missionary in a community near Port au-Prince in Haiti in the late 90’s.
A celebration of his life will be held at Unitarian Universalist Church of Mt. Airy, 6900 Stenton Ave., Philadelphia on Sat, Jan 13, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers the family has requested that donations be made in his honor to non-profit organizations who are either serving the needs of the community or working on environmental issues.
