He and his mother lived in a tenement on Ludlow Street, after his father died of a stroke when Sechzer was only 7.
While his wish was to be a flight surgeon, he spent the war stationed at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Trained in general surgery, Sechzer was fascinated by the study of pain itself and worked to advance anesthesiology.
From 1964 to 1966 he practiced at Baylor University as part of Michael DeBakey's intra-operative team, publishing much and helping to develop the heart and lung bypass machine.
He was survived by his wife of 56 years, author and psychologist Jeri A. Sechzer (d. 2011), as well as their three children and eight grandchildren.