Gwynedd, PA – Col. David Mounir Sa’adah, MD, 86, husband of Gretchen Tenny Hall, died October 29, 2025. Born in Beirut, Lebanon on November 6, 1938, he was the son of the late Rev. Mounir Raphael Sa’adah and Marjorie Abrahamian Sa’adah. David was shaped by his childhood experiences in Beirut, Lebanon; Rafah, Gaza; and Woodstock, Vermont. He graduated from Groton School in 1955; Harvard College, A.B. cum laude 1959; and McGill University, Doctor of Medicine 1963.
David served in the U.S. Army for 30 years as a physician. He completed multiple overseas deployments including a tour of duty in Vietnam (1967-68). An OB-GYN, his focus was women’s health care for service members and families, as well as developing mobile hospitals for disaster relief. His research into the U.S. military’s friendly fire casualties found significant under-reporting, and forced a reevaluation of historical methods of calculating these statistics. Among many military honors, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
David raised three children with Gay Gellhorn, to whom he was married from 1961-1986. In 1987, David married Gretchen Tenny Hall in Alexandria, VA, where they lived until moving to Foulkeways Quaker retirement community in 2012.
In his retirement, David’s research, writing and library-building centered on preserving Armenian and Arab histories. David will be remembered for his kindness, generosity and welcome to all. It was unlikely to leave an encounter with him without having been fed, provisioned and gifted a book of your interest. He baked baguettes for his community every Thursday. He loved birds, exploring the world and meeting its peoples, and traveling with his grandchildren.
Surviving with David’s wife are his brother Jonathan Sa’adah (Elizabeth Adams) formerly of Hartford, VT, and sister Anne Sa’adah (Charles Maier) formerly of Hanover, NH; his children Rafael Sa’adah (Bri Teneza), Sarah Sa’adah (Joe Straton), Marjorie Gellhorn Sa’adah, Sarah Tucker, and Rachel Tucker (Gustavo Albanese); and grandchildren Jack Straton, Emma Straton, Olivia Gilpin, Eleanor Gilpin, Nicholas Gilpin, and Jessica, Max and Lu Albanese.
David was a member of Alexandria Friends Meeting, and Gwynedd Friends Meeting. A Friends Meeting to celebrate the life of David Sa’adah will be held at Foulkeways, 1120 Meetinghouse Road, Gwynedd, PA in early 2026. Burial will be private in Alexandria Friends Meeting Cemetery. Assistance to refugees locally or abroad is a fitting remembrance of David.
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