Dr. Lambertus ("Bert") Johannes Drop, a distinguished medical doctor, teacher, and humanitarian passed away on September 10 with his wife Elke by his side. He was 84.

Bert had a very strong sense of service which was inseparable from his faith. Whether practicing medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital or caring for people in communities far from Boston, he was guided by the conviction to give back to others. A devoted parishioner for many years at St. John Lutheran church in Sudbury, Massachusetts, he sought to live his faith not simply in words, but through his acts of generosity. He gave his time and medical expertise to Doctors Without Borders, and Operation Smile, making multiple humanitarian trips to Nepal, Mexico, Ecuador, and Peru.

Bert possessed a wonderfully creative side which he expressed in music, photography and embroidery. As a child, he started out in Eindhoven playing Bach sonatas on flute while accompanied on the piano by his father and brother, Hans. Later in life, he took up the recorder, bassoon, oboe and english horn, playing in numerous chamber groups. As a teen, he filled the attic of the house with photography equipment. He was very practical on the sewing-machine constructing a large camping tent that he and his parents used for many years. He was always a handyman doing everything from electrical work and replacing a roof, to rebuilding a deck and stairs.

Born and educated in the Netherlands, Bert earned his undergraduate degree from Leiden University, his medical degree from Utrecht University and his PhD in biochemistry from University Nijmegen before coming to the United States in 1974. He found his professional home at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he served as an anesthesiologist for 40 years. Bert authored several publications on cardiovascular physiology and anesthesiology, including chapters in medical school textbooks. Bert also served as an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Harvard Medical School. His research explored the safe administration of anesthesia for electroconvulsive therapy, particularly to high-risk patients.

Family always remained at the center of his life. Bert was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Madeleine, who passed in 2009. He found love again and is survived by his wife Elke, with whom he shared the later chapters of his life, and by his three children and their families: Daniel, Jenna, and their daughter, Maya; Jacob, Karol, and their daughters, Madeleine and Molly; Dawn, Jim and their daughters Elizabeth, Matilda and Charlotte. Bert's older brother, Sten, resides in the Netherlands with his wife, Petra, with their grown sons, Alexander, Johannes and Joppe, spread throughout the world.

All services for Bert will be held private.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), which reflects Bert's passion for helping others and ensures his memory lives on through the life-saving medical care given to those who need it most. Contributions can be made online at https://give.doctorswithoutborders.org, or via mail.

For additional information or to send the family a written expression of sympathy, please visit an online guest book at www.dyer-lakefuneralhome.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of the DYER-LAKE FUNERAL HOME, 161 Commonwealth Avenue, Village of Attleboro Falls, North Attleboro, MA. (508) 695-0200.