Frank C. Snope

Dr. Frank Cornelius Snope, a pioneering leader in the field of Family Medicine and a beloved teacher, mentor, and clinician, passed away peacefully on October 20th 2025 at the age of 93. His lifelong dedication to advancing primary care and medical education helped create and shape the modern practice of Family Medicine in the United States.
Frank was born to Emma (nee Kuypers) and Andrew Snope in Passaic, NJ on January 6, 1932. He grew up in Clifton NJ with his brothers Jim, Andrew (Jack) and Dave.
Frank attended Calvin College and subsequently earned his bachelor's degree from Rutgers University in 1954 and his M.D. from New York University School of Medicine in 1958. He completed his internship at Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1958–59, and a general-practice residency at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey in 1959–60.
Dr. Snope started his first year of medical practice in Milford NJ working with 2 other physicians in the offices of "Crump, Skeen and Snope," after a year there he moved on to hang his shingle at his new home/office in Lebanon NJ. He was the town Doctor with his wife Betsy as his nurse/gatekeeper and secretary there for the next 9 years, during this time he provided medical services to approximately 2000 families and delivered 300 babies.
Dr. Snope served for many years on the faculty at The College of Medicine and Dentistry of NJ (CMDNJ), where he was the founding Chair of the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health which named him Professor Emeritus upon his retirement. His passion for teaching inspired generations of physicians. He was known for his rigorous standards, sharp intellect, and deep compassion for patients and learners alike. Through his work with the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) which he served as President and other national organizations, Dr. Snope contributed to curriculum development, residency training standards, and policy initiatives that emphasized continuity of care, preventive medicine, and the doctor-patient relationship.
Colleagues remember Dr. Snope as a visionary whose leadership blended intellectual rigor with humility and warmth. His students recall a mentor who challenged them to think critically, listen deeply, and care for the whole person-body, mind, and spirit.
Dr. Snope retired from medicine in 2002 and subsequently moved to Medford Leas continuing care retirement community in 2006 where he was an integral part of the community who served on many committees and was beloved throughout the community.
Frank was a man of honesty, compassion, and integrity. He had a positive effect on everyone he met. Even with all of his polio and heart related mobility restrictions he was a shining example of a life well lived.
Frank is the beloved husband of 68 years to Betsy W. (nee Kooy), loving father of Robert (wife Linda, daughter Emma), Daniel (wife Ann son Andrew and daughter Tami), Timothy (wife Barbara sons Kyle and Ryan), and Jack (son David) who predeceased him in 2000.
His legacy lives on in the many residents, students, patients and acquaintances whose lives he touched, and in the institutional frameworks he helped build for family medicine training in the United States.
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