Joseph "Joel" Lyon Andrews Jr. MD, of Lincoln, MA, died surrounded by family on April 24, 2023 from complications of heart disease and late stage cancer. He was 85 years old.

A man of diverse interests and talents, Joel was a physician as well as a passionate author, teacher, activist and history buff, and a dedicated and loving father and grandfather.

Joel was an ardent scholar and a student of life, full of knowledge of many different topics that he was eager to share with others; he was outgoing and engaging, persistent and tenacious, always questioning the status quo and figuring out how to overcome obstacles.

Joel was extremely proud of his Jewish heritage. He was a direct descendent of early American Jews who settled in New York City in the 1690's and of Jews who supported and fought for the Patriots in the American Revolution, including Haym Salomon, who worked with Robert Morris and George Washington to finance the American Revolution.

A native of New York City, Joel grew up in Georgetown, D.C. and Scarsdale, NY. Throughout his adult life, Joel resided in Boston, Newton, Concord and Lincoln, MA.

Joel graduated from Amherst College with honors in 1959. During undergraduate studies, he couldn't decide whether to become a physician or a writer, so he pursued both. After graduating from the University of Rochester School of Medicine, he trained in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine and cardiology at Boston City Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. He proudly served as a Captain in the U.S Air Force Medical Corps during the Vietnam War.

Joel practiced internal and pulmonary medicine for many years at Lahey Clinic, in Boston and Burlington, MA. He also was founder and chair of the Pulmonary Section at the New England Deaconess Hospital, conducted clinical research, and taught as an assistant clinical professor and lecturer in medicine at Harvard and Tufts Medical Schools.

Joel cared for thousands of individuals with smoking-related illnesses and was at the forefront of advancing no-smoking policies, leading efforts in the 1970s to make the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston one of the first non-smoking hospitals in the world, a model that other institutions eventually followed. He testified at scientific and legislative hearings to design effective smoking reduction and no smoking policies.

During his later medical career Joel worked on various short-term medical assignments caring for patients in locations including the Olympic Peninsula, WA, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, suburban Boston, and Western MA, and as a physician volunteer following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

As an author, Joel wrote prolifically about medicine, travel and history, published in medical journals and other publications, including the Boston Globe. He wrote and published two books about Revolutionary and literary Concord.

Joel passionately explored the rich history of Concord, MA, where he lived for over 25 years. He was a founding director of a historical walking tour company in Concord that has hosted visitors from around the world. Joel was also a member and honorary Surgeon of the Massachusetts Sons of the American Revolution. In his later years, Joel frequently lectured on American colonial and Revolutionary history.

Joel was a loving and supportive father to his three children, Joe (Lesley), Sara, and Jennifer Burke (Adam). He adored his 5 grandsons, Michael, Garrett, Aaron, Peter, and Jacob. He is survived by his younger sister Dale Eldridge and by many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his older sisters Ann Paxton and Lynn Kotzen, and by his former wife, Margareta.

Joel's family gathered for a private burial service at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord. A celebration of life will be planned for a later date.

Concord's Town Flag flew at half-staff on Friday, April 28, 2023 in honor of his faithful service in the United States Air Force.

Memorial donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders .

Arrangements are entrusted to Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.