Dr. Tom Corrigan was a builder, a birder and a boater. He was a proud father and lifelong learner. With all of that, he was skilled in a demanding profession – orthopedic surgery.
“He became a doctor, but he could have succeeded in anything,” said Tom Corrigan, one of the longtime Everett doctors four children. “He thought hard about being an architect. Our house was filled with legal pads with his ideas. Hed design houses and boats. He always wanted to learn.”
Dr. Thomas Francis Corrigan Jr. died May 5 in Mount Vernon. He was 73.
For nearly 30 years, he practiced orthopedic surgery at Everett Orthopedic and Fracture Clinic. He and his wife, Barbara, raised their family in Mukilteo. They later lived near Granite Falls before retiring to La Conner in 1995.
Dr. Corrigan is survived by his wife, Barbara; sons Christopher, Thomas and Michael; daughter Kimberly Corrigan; grandchildren Keely, Rory and Dashiell; his sister Carol Conway; and many nieces, nephews and friends.
“He was a huge influence on my life,” said Dr. Doug Hanel, an orthopedic hand surgeon at Seattles Harborview Medical Center and head of orthopedic residency at the University of Washington Medical Center.
Hanel was a UW undergraduate bound for medical school when Corrigan allowed him to observe in an operating room. “I had every intention of becoming a pediatrician,” Hanel said. “As I progressed through medical school, I wanted to emulate Tom Corrigan.
“Who could you look at as a surgeon role model? There is no Marcus Welby,” said Hanel, who likened Corrigan to the B.J. Hunnicutt character in “M*A*S*H.”
“That character was a smart guy, a very talented surgeon, with a sense of humor,” Hanel said. “Tom Corrigan was always that role model, faithful to his patients, faithful to his wife and family.”
Kimberly Corrigan said that while her dad was on call at two hospitals, “he always managed to make it to all our track meets and basketball games.”
She remembered painting with her dad. “I said, Daddy, we should sand more before we paint. He always said, Honey, just get it done. Thats why I was an orthopedic surgeon, not a cosmetic surgeon, ” Kimberly Corrigan said.
She marvels at the bond her parents had. “They were truly soul mates, best friends and partners to each other,” she said. “May 30 would have been my parents 48th wedding anniversary.”
Tom Corrigan was born Aug. 9, 1933, to Thomas F. and Helen Corrigan in Glen Ridge, N.J. He graduated from Union College in New York, and from medical school at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. There, he met and married Barbara.
He was drafted into the Army Medical Corps in 1961 and served two years as a captain in Herlong, Calif.
“Family always came first with my dad,” said Tom Corrigan, whose memories include sailing trips to Hood Canal and British Columbia. The elder Tom Corrigan built boats, from 6-foot kayaks to a 22-foot gaff-rigged sailboat that he donated to the Sea Scouts in Anacortes.
Dr. Corrigan also had a keen interest in nature. He was active in the Washington State Native Plant Society. He wrote a field guide, “Mosses to Find in Western Washington,” and in 2006 was honored as one of the plant societys fellows.
“I just found Tom totally delightful to work with,” said Catherine Hovanic, director of the Washington Native Plant Society. “He was an inspiration to me, a man who spent a lifetime as a surgeon. Native plants became a true avocation.”
Howard Armstrong, president of the Skagit Audubon Society, said Corrigon served on the groups board of directors. “He was full of fun, but was also serious about things. Hell be missed,” Armstrong said.
Kennon Engelmann, a New York-based coach of the national USA Wrestling team, went to Mariner High School with Dr. Corrigans son, Tom.
At 16, hed had an undefeated season when he broke his collarbone during a match. “I was lying on a mat crying,” Engelmann said. “Finally, I hear Dr. Corrigan say, It will be all right. Lets go into the hospital and take a look. You were winning the match, by the way.
“That was 24 years ago,” said Engelmann. “He knew it was serious, but always offered hope.” The young wrestler went on to a championship college wrestling career in Oregon. “Without Dr. Corrigan, what might have happened to my dreams?” Engelmann said.
None of Corrigans children followed his footsteps in becoming a doctor.
“He never pushed us to go into medicine. The only pressure was to participate, to stay active,” Tom Corrigan said. “He had so many interests. He wanted us to be what we wanted to be.”
Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlsteinjulie@heraldnet.com
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