Dr. Peter Francis Goyer was born in Urbana, Illinois on June 21, 1943, to parents Peter and Evelyn, and died peacefully of heart failure, surrounded by family, on May 30, 2025. He was 81. As the child of an Air Force Sergeant, he grew up in varied locations but lived most of his life in Ohio and Illinois. He graduated from Rantoul High School in Rantoul, Illinois in 1961, where he met his wife, Christine Krebs. They started dating while in college and were married on the campus of Notre Dame the week he graduated in 1965.
Dr. Goyer retired from a career that lasted nearly 50 years in 2013. After accepting a Naval ROTC scholarship, he attended the University of Notre Dame and graduated cum laude with a degree in Physics in 1965. He joined the Navy and went on to teach mathematics, physics and reactor physics at the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power school in Bainbridge, MD. While teaching at Nuclear Power School, he earned his MS in Biophysics in 1968 from the University of Delaware. After earning his master’s degree, he accepted a U.S. Navy scholarship to attend medical school and went on to study medicine at Johns Hopkins Medical school. After graduating from Hopkins in 1974, he was stationed at the Bethesda Naval Hospital (NNMC) in Bethesda, MD to complete his psychiatric residency. The final year of Dr. Goyer’s psychiatric residency was a research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD. After completing his psychiatry residency, he was stationed at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, VA. In addition to his clinical work in Portsmouth, he continued to do research as a guest researcher at NIMH. In 1984 he became aware of the capabilities of Positron Emission Tomography, PET, and its potential application to psychiatric brain imaging research. He applied for and was accepted into a Nuclear Medicine residency program at Bethesda Naval Hospital in 1985. While completing his nuclear medicine residency he continued to do research at NIMH. He became board certified in nuclear medicine in 1987, thus earning certification in both psychiatry and nuclear medicine. He remained at the Bethesda Naval Hospital as a staff physician in Nuclear Medicine and in 1988 he was appointed Chairman of Psychiatry. He retired from the navy in 1989 at the rank of Captain after 24 years of active-duty military service. After his career in the Navy as a clinical psychiatrist, nuclear medicine physician and researcher, he took a position at Case Western Medical School and University Hospitals as an associate professor of psychiatry and radiology and director of neuropsychiatric imaging. Concurrent with his academic and research position at Case Western Medical school, he also served as co-chief of staff of the Cleveland VA Medical Center and then as director of mental health for the state of Ohio. He retired from his positions at Case Western and the VA in 2013. One of few physicians certified in both nuclear medicine and psychiatry he was a pioneer in the usage of PET technology for brain imaging in psychiatric research. He was extensively published in peer-reviewed medical journals and a frequent speaker and presenter at national medical conferences.
He retired to the shores of Lake Michigan in 2014 where he enjoyed watching sunsets, participating in his community, and spending time with his family. He was a devout Catholic who passed his devotion to his faith and his disappointment in Notre Dame’s football performance on to his family. The love of his life was his wife of sixty years Christine (Chris). He died peacefully holding her hand on May 30, 2025.
Dr. Goyer was a connoisseur of fine wine, an aficionado of fine dining, and a defender of cheap gin. To celebrate his life, we encourage you to call your family, make a martini, watch the sunset, and pray for Notre Dame. Dr. Goyer will be buried at Arlington National cemetery in Washington, D.C. In lieu of flowers, we suggest making a donation to K9s for warriors, a charity that provides service dogs for veterans suffering from mental illness: K9s for Warriors.
Dr. Goyer is survived by his wife Christine Goyer; son Peter (Lia) Goyer; daughters Maraya (Paul) Steadman and Kathryn (Dino) Cusumano; grandchildren Sarah Steadman, William Steadman, Emma Steadman, Gabrielle Goyer, Sydney Goyer, Fiona Goyer, Primo Cusumano and Vincenzo Cusumano; and sister Beverly Fox.
Dr. Goyer was preceded in death by his parents and brothers Paul Goyer and Larry Blue.
Arrangements are entrusted to Starks & Menchinger Chapel and Cremation Service. Those wishing to share a memory of Dr. Goyer online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com
Posted On: Friday, June 6, 2025 3:19 PM
