Thomas Reed, MD, (UCSF Naffziger 1971), a highly regarded retired surgeon and beloved husband, father and grandfather, died peacefully at home in Sebastopol, California on October 9. Tom lived an extraordinary life and was surrounded by family as he succumbed to the effects of Parkinson’s disease.
Tom was born in Three Rivers, Michigan and was an athlete from a young age. He earned a baseball scholarship to Kalamazoo College and then spent 1 year at the the University of California Berkeley before returning home to attend the University of Michigan where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and was the proud graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School.
Tom relocated to Northern California in the 1960’s to complete his surgical residency at UCSF in 1971. He served as a U.S. Army surgeon stationed in Germany. Dr. Reed joined Dr. David Fraser (UCSF Naffziger 1973) in practice in Santa Rosa. They were later joined by Loie Sauer (UCSF Naffziger 1988) following her fellowship in vascular surgery. Tom became a leading member of the Sonoma County medical community, specializing in vascular and general surgery. He served as the elected chief of surgery at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and was an early and skilled adopter of angioplasty. Tom was a respected member of the UCSF Naffziger Society, a medical society dedicated to excellence in surgery, and was a featured speaker in 2011 honoring Drs. William Blaisdell, Donald Trunkey, and Frank Lewis.
A celebration of life is planned for Sunday, November 13th from 4 to 7 p.m. at Paradise Ridge Winery in Santa Rosa. The family welcomes donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.