KILMARNOCK—Dr. Richard Cutler, a prominent geroscientist, devoted father, and husband, passed away peacefully while surrounded by his family on March 13, 2023. He was 87 years old.
Dr. Cutler was born on August 6, 1935, in Lovell, Wyoming, the son of Waldo and Bernice Cutler and the eldest of three children. During high school, he made the front page of the local newspaper when he built his own jet-powered helicopter. The attention garnered from this paved the way to earning his bachelor’s in physics from California State University, Long Beach, followed by a Ph.D. in biophysics from the University of Houston.
Early in his career, Dr. Cutler was a professor at the University of Texas at Dallas for five years. He then established a lab in Maryland at the National Institute on Aging, where he worked for 22 years. During this time he founded the company Genox to support research on oxidative stress, which still remains in business to this day.
In 1999, he was recruited to The Kronos Longevity Research Institute in Arizona where he worked as a senior scientist until his retirement in 2005. His groundbreaking work in the field of geroscience has earned him international acclaim, which includes the Infinity award for Outstanding Achievement in the Science of Longevity Medicine given by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine in 1984.
Dr. Cutler was a prolific writer and speaker, publishing 250 articles and books which have been cited over 13,000 times. His mentorship has inspired generations of scientists, including two of his sons, to continue the pursuit of understanding the mechanisms of human aging. He is most well known for his contributions to determining the role of oxidative stress and DNA methylation in aging, as well as his work on the evolution of human longevity.
His original hypothesis on the basic cause of aging, termed dysdifferentiation, is still a topic of current research endeavors in the field.
In addition to his professional achievements, Dr. Cutler was a devoted father and husband. He is survived by his wife, Jessica, to whom he was married to for 30 years, and their two children, Ronnie and Roman. He is also survived by his sister Caroline, his ex-wife Edith, and their three children, Roy, Ross and Richelle, as well as his 10 grandchildren.
He was a loving and supportive father who took great pride in his children’s accomplishments. All of which have pursued some form of higher education.
Outside of the lab, Dr. Cutler was known for his collection of toys. Whether that was his telescope, sports cars, powerboats, sailboats, or RV. He loved spending time on the water where he would sail up and down the Chesapeake Bay with his family. He was also fond of the Florida Keys, where he would spend the winter months there fishing and exploring on his boat.
Dr. Cutler will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues, but his legacy will continue to inspire and guide those who have known him. His contributions to the field of geroscience will have a lasting impact on our understanding of aging and the quest for longer, healthier lives. May he rest in peace.
