Dr. Jeremy David Walston, who founded the Johns Hopkins Human Aging Project and was a renowned expert in geriatric medicine and made influential contributions to research, education and clinical care at Johns Hopkins Medicine and throughout the world, died of glioblastoma June 10, at Gilchrist Center Baltimore. The Bolton Hill resident was 64. Born in Bowling Green, Ohio, he was the son of, and preceded in death by Gene Walston, a farmer, and Genevieve Walston, a homemaker who later worked for Verizon. He was also preceded in death by his brother, Perry Walston, a renowned floral designer.
Dr. Walston earned degrees at Capital University and the University of Cincinnati before moving to Baltimore and doing a general internal medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, also at Hopkins. Dr. Theodore DeWeese, Dean of the Hopkins School of Medicine, said, “Jeremy represented what it is to be a great Johns Hopkins faculty member. He brought the best care to patients in a kind and humane way.”
“He was a tremendous mentor and team builder. He brought nurses, public health professionals and engineers together,” said Dr. Cynthia M. Boyd, director of the Hopkins Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology division. “He was also an exceptional scientist, a pioneer in the field of aging, biology and the field of frailty and resilience.”
Dr. Walston was the deputy director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, the principal investigator of the Johns Hopkins Older American Independence Center and the co-director of the Biology of Healthy Aging Program. He held joint appointments in the Department of Oncology and the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Throughout his career, Dr. Walston helped to increase understanding of the biological underpinnings of aging-related disease and translate findings to the clinical care of older adults. Among his contributions, he developed a physical frailty measurement tool, which became the leading tool for hundreds, if not thousands, of studies, and is increasingly being integrated into clinical practices to improve precision in risk assessment and care planning for older adults. A deeply respected professor, researcher, physician and mentor, Dr. Walston received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research, the Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction from the American Federation of Aging Research and the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging. More recently the Department of Medicine acknowledged his dedication to mentorship with the David M. Levine Excellence in Mentoring Award. He was the recipient this year of the Dean’s Distinguished Mentoring Award, one of the highest awards that can be bestowed upon a Johns Hopkins faculty member.
Dr. Walston met his partner and future husband, George Lavdas, at a social event in 1982, at the Lawyerʼs Club at the University of Michigan Law School, where George was a first year law student. “His passion for the elderly began at a young age — at age 20,” Mr. Lavdas said. “He was kind and caring. Jeremy also had a love of preserving nature, birds and the environment.” He stressed that Jeremy was defined by the approximately 200-acre farm in Pemberville, OH, where he was raised. His father, “Geno” Walston, taught him to appreciate nature and walked frequently with him through the woods on the farm property. He was a fierce advocate for environmental causes and an unmatched ornithologist and, although not formally trained, lepidopterist (butterfly expert). He could identify and name hundreds of different species of birds and butterflies. His bird expertise was his particular passion and he passed that on to many friends and turned them too into bird watchers. Jeremy was also an avid gardener and planted two plots in Druid Hill Park, only a mile or so from his home in Bolton Hill. In the spring and summer, he would frequently get up at 5:30 a.m. to weed/water and/or plant! He was also an excellent cook and an avid traveler, particularly to visit friends in Germany and Austria. He spoke German at home with his family. He would stay up regularly late at night to make fruit preserves. He was a true renaissance man.
A Sun article, published in 2022, explained that the project he founded brought together a group of experts at Bayview to better understand what causes age-related problems, with the goal of slowing or even fixing them.
“Weʼre not aiming for people to live forever,” said Dr. Walston. “But if we can slow the progression of disease and decline, that 10 to 20 years people live with disability, we can give them a better quality of life. Weʼll probably increase longevity as well.”
The Sunʼs article said Dr. Walston conceived of the idea while treating his senior patients with cancer, heart disease, Alzheimerʼs disease and other conditions that develop over time. He wanted to improve their daily lives, and investigate the biological underpinnings of aging to improve later therapies or prevention strategies. When the project launched, Dr. Walston described it as a “big umbrella” of expertise from areas that include medical care, research, artificial intelligence and technology, engineering and business. Dr. Walston said he wanted equity and diversity to be an “important element” of the aging project.
Survivors include his husband and partner for more than 43 years, George Lavdas; two sons, Oliver Walston-Lavdas, of Baltimore and Alexander “Alex” Walston-Lavdas (Willow “Lolo” Washington), of Cocoa, Florida; a sister, Wendy Walston Vaughn (Alan Vaughn), of Pemberville, Ohio; a step-mother, Ellen Walston, of Pemberville; two step-brothers, Brent Sandberg (Kelly), of Perrysburg, Ohio and Justin “JJ” Sandberg (Melissa “Missy”), of Pemberville.
Family and friends will be received 4-8 p.m., Thursday, June 19, 2025 at Marsh & Marsteller Funeral Home, 4094 State Route 105, Pemberville. A funeral will be held 11 a.m., on Friday, June 20,2025 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 14545 New Rochester Road in Pemberville, Ohio. There will be additional visitation from 10 a.m., until time of service. A memorial service in Baltimore is being planned.
In lieu of flowers, the Family suggests that equal donations be made to the following organizations to honor Jeremy’s love of nature and commitment to the preservation of native species.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation: https://donate.nfwf.org/
Check the “dedicate this gift” box and indicate that the donation is in memory of Dr. Jeremy Walston.
The Bolton Hill Community Association, with a designation to support the “Greening and Tree Fund”: https://boltonhillmd.org/donate/ Please note in the “additional comments” section that the donation is being made in memory of Dr. Jeremy Walston.
Those wishing to express a word of encouragement or to share a memory or photo may do so at www.marshfuneralhomes.com.
Services
Visitation
Thursday, June 19, 2025
4:00PM – 8:00PM
Marsh & Marsteller Pemberville
4094 State Route 105
Pemberville, OH 43450
Funeral
Friday, June 20, 2025
11:00AM
St. Paul Lutheran Church
14545 New Rochester Road
Pemberville, OH 43450
Pastor Melanie Haack will be officiating.
Final Resting Place
Fish Cemetery
15025 Zeppernick Road
Pemberville, OH 43450
Luncheon
Friday, June 20, 2025
1:30PM
Stone Ridge Golf Club
1553 Muirfield Drive
Bowling Green, OH 43402
Provisions have been made by the family for a luncheon at the Stone Ridge Golf Course in Bowling Green immediately following the burial at the cemetery.
