Benjamin Ely Cole, Jr., M.D., 83, died January 2002 at home under hospice care. Dr. Cole was born in Bethlehem, PA. The son of Benjamin and Dorothy Cole, he married Jennifer Habian of New York City in 1944. He graduated from Taft School in 1936, Yale University in 1940 and Jefferson Medical School in 1944. He served two years with the Second Division USMC in the Pacific Theater and as a battalion surgeon during World War II. Dr. Cole lived and practiced obstetrics and gynecology from 1950-1980 in Pittsfield, MA. He served on the boards of Jacob’s Pillow and Berkshire Country Day School. The Coles spent ten years in St. Thomas, USVI and retired to St. Augustine, FL in 1990. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Phoebe Cole Allen in 1977. Dr. Cole loved the mountains and enjoyed sailing and outdoor sports. He was an avid reader of American history, studied languages and was a livelong advocate of education.
