It is with profound sadness that Amy Plotch and Gary Sutnick announce the passing of their father, Dr. Alton Ivan Sutnick, known affectionately to family and friends as “Al”. Al Sutnick was born on July 6, 1928 in Trenton, NJ, the first son of Michael and Rose Sutnick. Growing up during the Great Depression, young Al loved bicycling with his friends, eating ice chips when the horsedrawn ice cart came by, summers at the Jersey shore, and hitchhiking to New York City to see the Philharmonic.

The valedictorian of Trenton High School, Al went on to attend college at the University of Pennsylvania, where he won the oratory award, a testament to his lifelong ability to say the right thing at the right time. Al had considered becoming a classical pianist, a rabbi, and a dentist before settling on medical school at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1958, Al was completing his residency in Indianapolis when he met the love of his life, Mona Reidenberg, who he married just three months after they first met. When he was sent by the Army to serve for two years in Paris, he and Mona wound up with an extended honeymoon in the City of Lights. They considered themselves honorary Parisians for the rest of their lives, and often spoke French when they didn’t want their children to know what they were saying.

In 1961, Al and Mona welcomed their first child, Amy. Gary soon followed and made their family complete. They bought a little row house in the middle of Philadelphia and lived out the rest of their lives there. Al and Mona were classical music aficionados, attending concerts regularly at the Philadelphia Orchestra, chamber music groups, and the Curtis Conservatory. They took Amy and Gary to concerts and other performances to share their lifelong love of the arts. Al was truly a man of the world. When Gary became a young adult, a high point of Al’s year was their annual father and son trip to New Orleans for JazzFest. A proud Philadelphian, Al relished taking visitors on tours of off the beaten track parts of Philly (and then to his home for a delicious meal prepared by Mona).

Al Sutnick was a major figure in Western medicine, making important contributions in research in fields as varied as anesthesiology and oncology. He spent much of his career at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, where his research led to the development of the Hepatitis B vaccine. He was later recruited to become the Dean of the Medical College of Pennsylvania. While in that role, he was the first to propose a curriculum for emergency medicine as a standalone discipline. As a consultant for the World Health Organization, Al traveled multiple times to India, where he helped save millions of people from hepatitis and subsequent liver cancer. His professional legacy survives him.

Travel was an important part of Al and Mona’s life. Al traveled to six continents for both business and pleasure. His academic meetings around the world were often opportunities to bring the family on trips as diverse as Machu Picchu in Peru and camping in the Arctic Circle. His high point was a hike to Everest Base. Camp in 1990. Al and Mona shared their love of travel with their family, taking their children, Amy and Gary, and later their grandchildren, Cynthia and Andrew, around the world.

Despite his prodigious achievements, Al was always a humble man who was never happier than when he was spending time with his family. Friday nights found him joyously singing the Kiddush at the start of Shabbat dinner. Al was a devoted member of Society Hill Synagogue and lifelong supporter of Ben Gurion University in the Negev. After retiring from full-time work, Al founded the Ben Gurion-Philadelphia Academic Bridge, a grantmaking organization that matched scholars from Ben Gurion University of the Negev with their peers in the Philadelphia area.

Al Sutnick passed away peacefully at the age of 97 on the morning of March 20, 2026. He leaves behind a legacy of love, dignity, culture, grace, and humanity. In addition to his two children, Al is survived by his son-in-law, Philip Plotch, and his two grandchildren, Cynthia and Andrew Plotch. He will live on in all of our hearts.

Relatives and friends are invited to funeral services on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM at GOLDSTEINS ROSENBERGS FUNERAL DIRECTORS, 6410 N. Broad Street, Phila. PA 19126. Interment to follow at Har Jehuda Cemetery. Shiva will be observed at his late residence Sunday from 5:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Shiva will continue at the home of Amy and Philip Plotch Monday and Tuesday. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Mona and Alton Sutnick, Shirley and Stanley Tauber Senior Fellowship in Medical Education American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 260 Old York Road Suite 417A, Jenkintown PA 19046.