Des Plaines man was a 'classic, busy surgeon'
Martin Matthew Fahey 1914~2007
The last of the original Fahey brothers, who opened the Fahey Medical Center in 1956 in Des Plaines, has died.
Martin Matthew Fahey was a general surgeon when he joined his brothers in the late 1940s at a clinic located above the Des Plaines Theatre. Later, they built the medical center in the Cumberland section of Des Plaines on the Golf Road circle.
The original practice included Dr. Patrick Fahey, a general practitioner; Dr. Joseph Fahey, a dentist; Dr. John Fahey, an orthopedic surgeon; and Dr. Jack McMahon, also a general practitioner.
Dr. Martin Fahey died Saturday after a long battle with cancer. The longtime resident of Glenview was 94.
Having grown up on a farm in the foothills of West Virginia and played football at the University of West Virginia, Dr. Martin Fahey left his native state to pursue his dream of practicing medicine.
He followed the lead set by his older brother, Patrick, and attended medical school in Chicago, before doing his residency at the Mayo Clinic.
"The brothers knew the suburbs were expanding, and Park Ridge and Des Plaines were the first ones," says Dr. McMahon, of McHenry.
He added that they purchased the property on the city's famous traffic circle for its visibility.
The practice grew along with the suburbs, and Dr. Martin Fahey treated patients from throughout the North and Northwest suburbs.
"He had an excellent reputation," says his former colleague, Dr. Michael Grear, of the Fahey Medical Center. "He was a classic, busy surgeon."
Beyond opening the medical center, Dr. Martin Fahey was among the original 25 doctors to staff Holy Family Medical Center in Des Plaines when it opened. He also practiced at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago.
While Dr. Martin Fahey made his home in the Chicago area, he returned to his roots every year, visiting the family farm in West Virginia.
Dr. Martin Fahey retired in 1988 after practicing medicine for 45 years.
He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Donna, and eight children, including: Sharyn of Wyoming, Minn.; Barbara of Glen Ellyn; Mary Ellen (Mike) Morrison of Helena, Mont; Martin, Jr. (Peggy) of Grand Haven, Mich; James (Susan) and Debralyn, both of Glenview; Diane (Paul) Alston of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Dawn Hayes (the late Christopher) of Glenview.
He also is survived by 12 grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will take place from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday at N.H. Scott & Hanekamp Funeral Home, 1240 Waukegan Road in Glenview, followed by a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, 1775 Grove St. in Glenview.