THOMAS FRANCIS SWEENEY

1947 - 2015

SWEENEY, THOMAS FRANCIS, M.D. Thomas Francis Sweeney, M.D., of North Haven, CT., died March 20, 2015. He was 67. Tom was the loving husband of Anne (Harmon), the devoted father of Kelley (John) O’Connell of Milford, MA., Colin Sweeney of Los Angeles, CA., and Liam Sweeney of North Haven, as well as the very proud grandfather of Kaitlin and Lindsay O’Connell. He is also survived by his siblings William (Anne) Sweeney of Madison, MaryEllen Maher of Milford, Frances Rife of Branford, and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his brother-in-law Donald Maher.Tom was born November 23, 1947 in New Haven to Helen (Carney) and Retired Chief NHFD Francis Sweeney. He attended St. Brendan’s Grammar School, Notre Dame High School, and The College of the Holy Cross. He then returned to New Haven to continue preparation for what would be a remarkable career in medicine. Following his graduation from The Yale School of Medicine, he completed his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Certified by the American Board of Surgery with Special Qualification in General Vascular Surgery, Tom became a preeminent vascular surgeon in the New Haven community, caring for thousands of patients, and participating in the training of hundreds of medical students and resident physicians at both Yale-New Haven Hospital and the Hospital of St. Raphael. He was a founding partner of the Connecticut Vascular Center and throughout four decades remained at the forefront of vascular surgery technology as the field rapidly advanced. For the last 14 years he has served as the Associate Chief, Section of Vascular Surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital.Over the course of his career, Tom served on virtually every important hospital committee. He was President of the Yale-New Haven Hospital medical staff and President of the New Haven Medical Society. He served on the Board of Directors of the Yale Surgical Society, the Yale Medical School Alumni Fund, and the Reunion Committee. In 2012, when the Yale-New Haven Hospital and Hospital of Saint Raphael joined to create a single institution, Tom became Associate Chief of the Department of Surgery and Director of Surgical Services at the Yale-New Haven Hospital, St. Raphael Campus. His leadership was pivotal in uniting the surgical services and training programs of the two hospitals and in the resolution of a host of challenging strategic and logistical issues. In this role, as in all the leadership positions Tom generously accepted over four decades, he demonstrated unfailing integrity, fairness, honesty, and compassion. Our medical community has lost a great doctor, leader, colleague and friend. Anyone who worked with Tom in the operating room knew that classical music was the soundtrack to his life. He wanted to ensure others had the chance to love it too, which lead him to serve on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Symphony for a number of years. Tom felt extremely fortunate for the opportunity to explore the world together with Anne. Their adventures – be they alone, with family, or with friends – spanned the globe, many taking them to golf’s most famous courses. Tom truly loved golf – even when it didn’t love him back. He cherished time spent playing with great friends. As he once played with his own father, Tom golfed with his children to teach them of the game and of life. But, with Anne, he played for love. Friends may call on Wednesday, March 25 from 4-8pm at Sisk Brothers Funeral Home at 3105 Ave., Hamden. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thusday, March 26 at 11:00 am at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, 2819 Whitney Ave., Hamden. Friends are asked to go directly to the church. Burial to follow at All Saint’s Cemetery , North Haven. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Sweeney Family Scholarship Fund at Notre Dame High School ( Notre Dame West haven, 24 Ricardo Street, West Haven, CT 06516) or Yale-New Haven Hospital (www.givetoynhh.org/give-in-honor). www.siskbrothers.com.