It is with great sadness that the physicians and staff here at GANJ mourn the passing of one of its founding physicians, Dr. Ralph Ames DeMaio. In 2009, Dr. DeMaio along with eight other gastroenterologists, operating independently, collaborated to create a group practice called Gastroenterology Associates of New Jersey (GANJ). Dr. DeMaio retired from practicing medicine in 2017.
“Ralph was a dedicated physician who touched countless lives through his compassion and expertise,” said Dr. George Pavlou, GANJ president and CEO, also one of its founders. “When we first reached out to Ralph about joining forces, sharing things like administrative resources, he was on board immediately because he realized that this would enable him to spend more time caring for his patients. They were always his first priority.”
According to Dr. DeMaio’s official obituary (courtesy of Paul Ippolito Memorial):
Ralph was born in Newark, NJ and was raised in East Orange. He has been a resident of North Caldwell for over 45 years. He was a 1966 graduate of Clifford Scott High School in East Orange, and he continued his education as an undergraduate at Rutgers University where he was also a member of the Tau Delta Phi Fraternity, graduating in 1970.
Upon his graduation from Rutgers University, he attended Medical School at the University of Bologna in Italy and lived there for 6 years. He then opened his own medical practice until his retirement. He was very involved on the board at St Joseph’s hospital where he practiced for over 35 years He was the family doctor and loved practicing medicine more than anything.
Ralph was the son of the late Nicholas & Aurora DeMaio. He will be remembered as a loving husband to Angela (predeceased), father to Monica Donlin & her husband Lou Donlin of Livingston, and Chris DeMaio & his wife Brittany DeMaio of West Orange, brother to Jomein DeMaio and grandfather to Olivia, Nicholas, Juliet and Siena. He is also survived by many loving family and friends. He will also be remembered as a loyal NY Mets fan. Over the years, he loved fishing and taking trips to Atlantic City to play craps. He loved driving his red Ferrari. Ralph made a phenomenal spaghetti carbonara and was always witty with his dirty jokes. He was always in his place at the head of the table.
Currently, GANJ consists of 47 physicians including three founders, Dr. George Pavlou, Dr. Michael Mainero, and Dr. Joseph Shami.
