Dr. Terrence J. Fagan

Dr. Terrence J. Fagan, 83, passed away peacefully on June 18, 2022, surrounded by his wife and children. Terry was born on February 9, 1939 in Warren, Ohio to the late Paul and Ruth (McCorkle) Fagan. He graduated from Saint Joseph’s High School in Cleveland, Ohio. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Case University in Cleveland, he decided to pursue a medical degree and later completed residency and fellowship in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at Baylor University in Houston, Texas. As a physician and Captain, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, earning a Bronze Star. For more than 50 years, Dr. Fagan was known to his colleagues, residents, nurses, and patients as a compassionate, caring physician who listened and was persistent to find the right solution. Dr. Terry Fagan was always up for an adventure, which included moving his family to the mountains to work as the first Pulmonologist in Billings, Montana, the second Pulmonologist in the entire state of Montana, and as a founding partner at the Billings Clinic. He continued his career in the VA Health System and later retired from the VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania as a Pulmonary Critical Care Physician. He was Chief Resident, Residency Director, and interim Medical Director. Notably, Terry created “The Fagan Nomogram”, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, a diagnostic tool to determine the post-test probability of disease based on the Likelihood Ratio of the particular diagnostic test, which is cited in hundreds of journals and textbooks. Terry was an avid learner and teacher, and even in retirement, he tutored math to students at William and Mary College and Thomas Nelsen Community College through Literacy for Life. Family was always Terry’s first priority and when he wasn’t working, he was packing up his wife and 5 children and dogs into the family car for an early Saturday morning adventure. Usually these trips only included leaving with a map and some snacks with no specific agenda. Terry’s adventures led to traveling nearly all 50 states and camping in many National Parks. He was active his entire life, enjoying biking, pole vaulting, running marathons, ice skating, coding programs, mastering Sudoku puzzles, riding motorcycles, and playing piano. Terry leaves behind to cherish his memory, his beloved wife of 48 years, Norma Jean Kammerer, whom he married January 4, 1974 and his piano lap mate fur baby, Lily. Other than his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Paula Ann Glomb. Terry adored his children Matthew (Elise) Fagan, Maureen (Gary) Missal, Theresa (Kelly) Alexander, Jeanenne (Scott) Jared, John (Beth) Fagan; and 15 grandchildren, Aliya, Natalie, Colin, Jessica, Samantha, James, Sean, Ava, Sophia, Samuel, Bohdan, Alison, Julianna, Faith, and Jackson; many years of laughter spent with brothers, Dennis, Brian, and Thomas; sisters, Christine, Colleen, and Janice. Family and friends will be received from 12:00pm-1:00pm at St. Olaf Catholic Church, 104 Norge Lane, Williamsburg, VA 21188, with a Divine Liturgy following at 1:00pm with Father Thomas Mattingly as officiant. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions in Terry’s honor to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org) or the Literacy for Life Organization (www.literacyforlife.org).