Sheldon Robert Mandel M.D.

Family, Friends, and Community
Sheldon Robert Mandel, MD, a loving and dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and lifelong friend to many, passed away on July 9, 2024, surrounded by loved ones. Dr. Mandel lived most of his adult life in Brookville, Maryland.
Dr. Mandel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 6, 1945, to Daniel and Sophie Mandel and joined his sister, Gail. In 1951, his family moved to Cheltenham, Pennsylvania where he attended Cheltenham Elementary School, Elkins Park Junior High School, and Cheltenham High School. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967, where he was a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, and from Jefferson Medical College in 1971. In 1972, he moved to Arlington, Virginia, for his orthopedic surgery residency at Georgetown University Medical Center.
Dr. Mandel maintained a long and successful orthopedic surgery practice at Potomac Valley Orthopedics in Olney, Maryland, where he treated and was beloved by countless patients in the community at Montgomery General Hospital (now Medstar Montgomery Hospital). During his orthopedic career, he served on the Board of Directors and as Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Montgomery General Hospital; as a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center; and as President of Potomac Valley Orthopedics. In addition, Dr. Mandel enjoyed his time as the volunteer team doctor for the Sherwood High School football team.
Shelly had many loves. He loved to be on the water and enjoyed sailing, motorboating, slalom waterskiing, and windsurfing. The first boat Shel owned as a high school was a Whirlwind motorboat named "Wild One" from which he waterskied in the Delaware River near his home in Cheltenham with his high school buddies. His first sailboat was the "PS"- named for his children Paige and Stefan. Later, he graduated to a larger sailboat, "Silent Thunder," which he raced on the Chesapeake Bay with his crew. He loved sharing his skills with the young folks he took on as crew members. Shel especially enjoyed traveling to the Caribbean with friends on yearly chartered sailing outings. In later years, Shel cruised and waterskied from his Grady White motorboat in Delaware's Indian River Bay Shelly loved motorcycles and classic cars and enjoyed tinkering with and keeping up his two beloved classic Corvettes – every sixties' teenage boy's dream car. Shel loved music-Paul Simon was a particular favorite-and enjoyed Broadway shows. But above all, Shelly adored his wife, Linda, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
Shelly had always wanted to be a doctor and found his passion for orthopedics as a result of being put back together by an orthopedic surgeon following his own motorcycle accident during medical school. Always a tool lover and "fixer," he saw firsthand how he could use those loves to help others as a surgeon. He loved helping his patients return to good health and never wanted to see them in pain. At home, he often put those same "fixer" skills to good use-using his living room couch and floor as a make-shift diagnostic room for neighbors, friends and their children.
Shel loved to travel and meet new people. Hawaii and the Caribbean were his perennial favorite places to explore. He traveled as often as possible to many cities in Europe, Central and South America, and had great adventures during a safari to Africa. Closer to home, he savored his time with family and friends at the beach in Delaware and in Florida.
Shel is survived by his cherished wife, Linda Biglin Norton Mandel; his son Stefan Mandel, daughter-in-law Rebecca, and grandson Shayden; his daughter Paige Mandel and grandchildren Osiris, Indigo, and Brooks; and his stepson Matthew Norton and Matt's fiancé, Jayme Feldman. Other survivors include his brother-in-law, Larry Biglin, sister-in-law Karen Biglin, nephews Bryan Biglin and Andrew Biglin; his brother-in-law Bruce Rubin; and nephew Brad Brooks-Rubin; and many friends, including friends from his childhood in Cheltenham.
A celebration of Dr. Mandel's life will be held for family and friends from 11 am to 2 pm on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at Manor Country Club, 14901 Carrolton Road, Rockville, MD 20853. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those wishing to remember Shel make a gift in his honor to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (http://www.stjude.org); Shriners Children's Hospital; or to a charity of their choice. Notifications of donations made in Shelly's honor may be sent to Linda Mandel / Matthew Norton at mlnorton@gmail.com.
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