Obituary for Adeline Marie Fagan MD
Adeline Marie Fagan, MD, of La Fayette, NY, passed away September 19, 2020, after contracting COVID-19.
Adeline was born in Syracuse, NY, on February 4, 1992, the second of four daughters of Mary Jane Abt-Fagan and Brant Fagan. Adeline grew up in La Fayette, where at the age of five she ran around the house with a toy stethoscope around her neck. At age 11, Adeline developed a neurological disease and became confined to a wheelchair. A visit to the orthopedist to diagnose her illness cemented her desire to become a physician, after he took the time to explain his diagnosis directly to Adeline so she could understand.
Throughout her life, Adeline loved and valued education. She attended Bishop Ludden High School, where in three short years she made many friends, played varsity lacrosse, and was elected Class President. She attended Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) in Philadelphia, PA, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Adeline was a charter member of the SJU chapter of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. After graduation, Adeline took a gap year before entering medical school. During that time, she became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in order to care for and learn more about patients in the hospital. She received her medical training at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at SUNY University at Buffalo, where she made it a point to meet and memorize the names of all 144 students in her class. There, she made lifelong friends with her radiant smile and cheerful manner. Always intent on helping others, Adeline traveled to Haiti on medical outreach trips during each of her four years in medical school, more than any other student in her class. In her last medical school rotation, she found OB/GYN, a discipline that married working with women and babies, her love of helping others, a need for patient education and surgical procedures.
Adeline moved to Houston, TX for residency where she quickly blossomed as a caring and dedicated OB/GYN. She worked in both a hospital and a clinic for an underserved population. In addition to being a doctor and helping others,
Adeline loved her extended family, friends, music, and her dog, Ruby. She always looked forward to holidays and birthdays, a time to sit and laugh with the rest of the family. Game nights with her school friends were a welcome diversion from the stress. Adeline was always planning and looking forward to the next trip, either with one or more of her sisters, or with the entire family. Her musical tastes ran from ‘80’s pop to country to present day artists, and she knew all the words.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who cared for Adeline as if a member of their family, while we could not be in the hospital with her – her co-residents in OB/GYN and Family Medicine, the nursing staff, and Drs. Edwards and Farooq at HCA Houston Healthcare West; the critical care nursing staff, resident doctors, and attending Drs. Akkanti, Hussain and Dinh at Memorial Hermann-TMC. There were countless other people who helped take care of Adeline and we thank you for all your support.
She is survived by her parents; Brant Fagan and Mary Jane Abt-Fagan; her three sisters, Emily Fagan Drum, Maureen Fagan and Natalie Fagan; her brother-in-law, Don Drum; a nephew Leo Drum; her maternal grandmother, Dolores Abt; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A private, by invitation, funeral Mass will be held Saturday, October 3, at 11:00 AM in Holy Family Church, Syracuse, NY, with Rev. James Carey officiating.
Live-streaming of the service is available at www.holyfamilysyr.org. Interment immediately follows at St. Mary’s Cemetery, DeWitt, NY.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Adeline’s name to Memorial Hermann for ECMO research at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure; online at www.memorialhermann.org/donate; by mail to 929 Gessner, Suite 2650, Houston, TX 77024; or by phone at 713-242-4400.
**The obituary will be published in Sunday's edition of the Syracuse Post Standard. *** The obituary may be found online at www.syracuse.com/obits Please visit this site to sign the Guestbook or leave a condolence message for the family.
'If you can do one thing, be an Adeline in the world. Be passionate about helping others less fortunate, have a smile on your face, a laugh in your heart, and a Disney tune on your lips'.
Adeline was born in Syracuse, NY, on February 4, 1992, the second of four daughters of Mary Jane Abt-Fagan and Brant Fagan. Adeline grew up in La Fayette, where at the age of five she ran around the house with a toy stethoscope around her neck. At age 11, Adeline developed a neurological disease and became confined to a wheelchair. A visit to the orthopedist to diagnose her illness cemented her desire to become a physician, after he took the time to explain his diagnosis directly to Adeline so she could understand.
Throughout her life, Adeline loved and valued education. She attended Bishop Ludden High School, where in three short years she made many friends, played varsity lacrosse, and was elected Class President. She attended Saint Joseph’s University (SJU) in Philadelphia, PA, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Adeline was a charter member of the SJU chapter of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity. After graduation, Adeline took a gap year before entering medical school. During that time, she became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) in order to care for and learn more about patients in the hospital. She received her medical training at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at SUNY University at Buffalo, where she made it a point to meet and memorize the names of all 144 students in her class. There, she made lifelong friends with her radiant smile and cheerful manner. Always intent on helping others, Adeline traveled to Haiti on medical outreach trips during each of her four years in medical school, more than any other student in her class. In her last medical school rotation, she found OB/GYN, a discipline that married working with women and babies, her love of helping others, a need for patient education and surgical procedures.
Adeline moved to Houston, TX for residency where she quickly blossomed as a caring and dedicated OB/GYN. She worked in both a hospital and a clinic for an underserved population. In addition to being a doctor and helping others,
Adeline loved her extended family, friends, music, and her dog, Ruby. She always looked forward to holidays and birthdays, a time to sit and laugh with the rest of the family. Game nights with her school friends were a welcome diversion from the stress. Adeline was always planning and looking forward to the next trip, either with one or more of her sisters, or with the entire family. Her musical tastes ran from ‘80’s pop to country to present day artists, and she knew all the words.
The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all who cared for Adeline as if a member of their family, while we could not be in the hospital with her – her co-residents in OB/GYN and Family Medicine, the nursing staff, and Drs. Edwards and Farooq at HCA Houston Healthcare West; the critical care nursing staff, resident doctors, and attending Drs. Akkanti, Hussain and Dinh at Memorial Hermann-TMC. There were countless other people who helped take care of Adeline and we thank you for all your support.
She is survived by her parents; Brant Fagan and Mary Jane Abt-Fagan; her three sisters, Emily Fagan Drum, Maureen Fagan and Natalie Fagan; her brother-in-law, Don Drum; a nephew Leo Drum; her maternal grandmother, Dolores Abt; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A private, by invitation, funeral Mass will be held Saturday, October 3, at 11:00 AM in Holy Family Church, Syracuse, NY, with Rev. James Carey officiating.
Live-streaming of the service is available at www.holyfamilysyr.org. Interment immediately follows at St. Mary’s Cemetery, DeWitt, NY.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Adeline’s name to Memorial Hermann for ECMO research at the Center for Advanced Heart Failure; online at www.memorialhermann.org/donate; by mail to 929 Gessner, Suite 2650, Houston, TX 77024; or by phone at 713-242-4400.
**The obituary will be published in Sunday's edition of the Syracuse Post Standard. *** The obituary may be found online at www.syracuse.com/obits Please visit this site to sign the Guestbook or leave a condolence message for the family.
'If you can do one thing, be an Adeline in the world. Be passionate about helping others less fortunate, have a smile on your face, a laugh in your heart, and a Disney tune on your lips'.