Husband-Wife Physicians Remember Detroit Mercy in Their Estate Plan

Dr. Thomas Snider, M.D. '47 lived a full life devoted to medicine and the patients he treated at his private practice in Monroe and at Mercy Memorial Hospital, where he was a former chief of staff and chief of medicine.

After he died on Jan. 30, 2001, his wife, Dr. Irene Sheehan, M.D., lived another 10 years. With the couple's passing, their estate plan designated funds for University of Detroit Mercy. The bequest has helped fund recent campus renovations.

"The gifts we are receiving now are from previous development," says Mark Grzybowski, former Gift Planning Director. "Student scholarships and campus renovations benefit greatly by the generosity of individuals such as Dr. Snider and his wife, who made plans to give back."

After graduating from U of D, Snider received his medical degree in 1951 from Loyola University in Maywood, Ill. He completed a residency in internal medicine at Detroit Receiving Hospital and later served another residency there in thoracic and cardiac medicine. In between his residencies, from 1953 to 1955, he was a medical officer in the U.S. Navy.

It was at Detroit Receiving Hospital that he met his wife. A radiologist, Dr. Irene Sheehan had a practice in Allen Park, Mich. Snider joined the staff at the Veterans Administration Hospital in the same city. He worked there for almost a decade before going into private practice in Monroe in 1970 and serving as a physician leader at Mercy Memorial Hospital. There, he was involved with expanding and enhancing the medical staff as well as the hospital's physical facilities.

Snider published numerous scientific articles for medical journals on a range of diseases. He also designed a screening test for emphysema.

When the couple retired, they traveled extensively and especially enjoyed visiting Ireland, Sheehan's homeland.