Gladys Louise McGarey

Mother of Holistic Medicine and Legacy of Love

Gladys Taylor McGarey, MD, MD(H), born on November 20, 1920 in Fatehgarh, India, died peacefully at home on September 28, 2024. Dr. Gladys, as she came to be known by her many patients over the years, was the fourth of five children born to her missionary parents, Drs. John C. and Elizabeth S. Taylor who served their entire careers as medical missionaries in Northern India through what is now known as the Presbyterian Church in America. Her brothers, (Dr. Rev. John C. Taylor, 6th, July 22, 1914 - Jan. 31, 2013; Dr. Carl E. Taylor, July 26, 1916 - Feb. 4, 2010; Rev. Gordon Taylor, Sept. 23, 1922 - Aug. 15, 2017), her sister, (Margaret Courtwright, Aug. 15, 1918 - Mar. 4, 2017), and her daughter (Analea McGarey, July 25, 1949 - Nov. 18, 2007), are now all reunited in the next realm. Dr. Gladys is survived by five of her six children - Carl (and DeeDee) McGarey, John (and Barbara) McGarey, Robert (and Lia Nelson) McGarey, Helene (and Nicolas Ligidakis) Wechsler, and David (and Lee) McGarey; 11 grandchildren (Julia (and Jack) Leapoldt, Tim McGarey, John (and Cristi) McGarey, Betsy (and Sean) Metzgar, Gabe (and Sarah) Taylor, Daniel (and Ashley) Wechsler, Andrew (and Courtney) Wechsler, Hannah (and Alfred) Rabinovich, Jessica (and Connor) McGeverly, and David Taylor (and Ellie Weber) McGarey); 13 great grandchildren (Lucy Leapoldt, Emma McGarey, Seth McGarey, Gregory (and Lani) Ludwig, Nolan (and Corey Slovak) Ludwig, Marshall (and Jade Singleton) Ludwig, Margaret Mae Metzgar, Ian Maurice Metzgar, James William Metzgar, Eugenia Taylor, Parker Wechsler, Taylor Rose Wechsler, Oliver Rabinovich); 1 Great, Great, Grandchild - Lydia Ludwig.

Dr. Gladys spent her childhood in the foothills of the Himalayas where - when she was not in school - she would accompany her parents as they provided free medical care, traveling through the nearby jungles, living in and working from tents, and moving from place to place wherever they were needed. In this way, Dr. Gladys learned the importance of providing love as one of her primary medicines for her patients. She continued to watch and work with her parents until, at the age of 16, she left India to go to Muskingum College in Ohio, USA and then Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania.

After graduating with her medical degree in 1946, Dr. Gladys became the first woman intern at Deaconess Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1978, she co-founded the American Holistic Medical Association (which in 2013 merged with the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine to form the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine) with the goal of uniting licensed physicians interested in transforming conventional healthcare into a more holistic model. She was one of the first medical doctors to utilize acupuncture in the U.S. and organized the first national acupuncture symposium. She established the Foundation for Living Medicine (originally named the Gladys Taylor McGarey Medical Foundation) in 1989 to bridge the gap between holistic and conventional medicine and helped to expand the knowledge and application of holistic principles through scientific research and education. Dr. Gladys also co-founded the Academy of Parapsychology and Medicine and was a founding diplomat of the Arizona Board of Homeopathic and Integrated Medicine Examiners. She and her husband William A. McGarey (Oct. 31, 1919 - November 3, 2008) collaborated with numerous well-known innovators who have played key roles in promoting discussion and research of integrative approaches to well-being, including Dr. Milton H. Erickson, Edgar Cayce, and Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. Following a medical career of nearly eighty years, she began a life consulting practice in 2022.

Dr. Gladys received numerous honors and awards, including the Humanities Award for Outstanding Service to Mankind; the David Stackhouse Award for pioneering excellence in Homeopathy; the YMCA “Tribute to Women” Award in the healing category; one of the Top Ten Arizona Women of 1993; the 2001 Lifetime Distinguished Service Award from Muskingum College in Ohio; and the Native-American Elder Award from Phoenix Area Indian Health Services. In 2003, Dr. Gladys was honored by the American Holistic Medical Association as a Pioneer of Holistic Medicine, and in 2017, she was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame. She spoke at TEDx, and published a number of books, her last being The Well-Lived Life: A 102-Year-Old Doctor’s Six Secrets to Health and Happiness at Every Age. Since the May 2023 release of this book, Dr. Gladys was featured in major journals and the press, including the Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today, CNBC, and more. She caught the attention of and was interviewed by Deepak Chopra, Dan Buettner, and over 200 other podcast presenters. Links to interviews and publications by or about Dr. Gladys can be found at: BeGladMD.com. In April 2024 with the release of the paperback version of The Well-Lived Life, Dr. Gladys became a best-selling author at age 103.

Dr. Gladys’ first secret to health and happiness shared in her book is “You are here for a reason.” She wrote that “living with purpose can actually help us live longer - and better. And the joy it brings to our lives will ripple out to the world around us.” She truly lived this way, working tirelessly on her most recent 10-year plan to the very end, and her work lives on through The Foundation for Living Medicine which will continue to work to further Dr. Gladys’ legacy, including her vision for a Village for Living Medicine. If you would like to contribute to this effort, donations are accepted at:

foundationforlivingmedicine.org/donate.

Dr. Gladys leaves behind a legacy of love rooted in the most important secret she shared: Love is the most powerful medicine. She often talked about the 5Ls: Love, Life, Laughter, Labor, and Listening, pointing out that love must accompany each of the other Ls for them to lead to health and happiness. “Once you're able to receive love, health and happiness will follow. Then the only natural response is to start spreading it to everyone you meet.”

In honor of Dr. Gladys, let us embrace her mantra "Be Glad" and continue spreading the waves of her love, wisdom, and joy across the globe.

VISITATION

Thursday, October 24, 2024, 12- 2 pm, Chapel, Green Acres Mortuary & Cemetery

401 Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona

CELEBRATION OF LIFE SERVICE

Friday, October 25, 2024, 2pm, Desert Palm Presbyterian Church PCUSA

13459 West Stardust Boulevard, Sun City West, Arizona

The service will be livestreamed with link available 10 minutes prior to start of service at:

https://www.desertpalmschurch.org/our-news

INTERMENT AND BURIAL

Saturday, October 26, 2024, 9 AM, Green Acres Mortuary & Cemetery

401 Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona

FLOWERS AND DONATIONS

If you would like to contribute to Dr. Gladys’ legacy, including her vision for a Village for Living Medicine, donations are accepted at: foundationforlivingmedicine.org/donate.