GARRY SAGET, VERSATILE M.D.

SOME KIDS spend years pondering what to do with their lives. Garry Saget had no such problem.

"Even at the young age of 4, Garry knew he wanted to be a doctor," his younger brother, Bedel Saget, wrote in an obituary.

"His focus and drive were unmatched as he excelled throughout his academic life."

Garry Saget, medical director of detox services at Eagleville Hospital, in Montgomery County, a doctor who had a diverse medical practice in various specialties, died March 8 of cardiac arrest. He was 50 and lived in Laverock, Montgomery County.

He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1961, a time of repression under the dictatorship of the infamous Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who kept much of the island nation in terror with his secret police, the Tontons Macoutes (Bogeymen).

Garry's parents, Antonine and Salnave Saget, migrated to the U.S. in the early '70s, and Garry, Bedel and their other siblings followed in 1972 when Garry was 11.

He pitched into the academic life of the U.S. with his customary energy and brilliance, graduating as the salutatorian of August Martin High School, in Jamaica, New York. He received an academic scholarship to Columbia University, where he majored in biology and economics.

He then attended Hahnemann University School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, receiving his medical degree in May 1994. His internship and residency in internal medicine were done at Graduate Hospital.

Garry's medical experience was diverse. He worked as a physician and medical director at various hospitals and institutions in geriatrics, internal and emergency medicine.

Most recently he found satisfaction in the detox department of Eagleville Hospital, a 308-bed institution that is the only hospital in the state licensed exclusively for the treatment of substance-abuse disorders.

"He found his calling working with patients who struggled with addiction," said his brother, who is graphics editor in the New York Times sports department. "Garry was appreciated by his patients and staff for his brilliance and compassion.

"This quiet, gentle spirit was kind, unselfish and believed that we should be good to our neighbors, strive for success, and remain optimistic."

Garry was a music lover, especially jazz. And he enjoyed learning to make music on the guitar.

He was also a dedicated collector, specializing in rare coins, stamps and comic books.

Garry took great interest in his two nephews, Bedel Jr. and Jared, and was looking forward to watching them grow and excel.

"He was loved and adored by his family, and his smile will live in their hearts," his brother said.

He is survived by his mother, Antonine; another brother, Serge; and two sisters, Jessy and Marie-Yves.

Services: Funeral Mass 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Allen African Methodist Episcopal Shekinah Youth Chapel, in Jamaica, N.Y. Burial will be in Pinelawn Memorial Park, Farmingdale, N.Y.