Donald Fishman

Donald R Fishman, M.D.—loving husband and father, devoted friend, and dedicated physician—died peacefully in New York on 16 October, 2022, after living for eight years with cancer. He was 75. Don is survived by his wife and son, Pam and David; his brother, Stephen; and his nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, and many friends.

Don was a born and bred New Yorker, raised in Douglaston and Kings Point by his parents, Sidney and Minerva. A Phi Beta Kappa scholar at the University of Rochester, Don attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania before completing his residency at the University of Michigan Hospital. One of New York’s top pulmonologists, Don served as chief resident at St. Luke’s Roosevelt and taught Columbia medical students. After his premature retirement, Don remained committed to medical service and intellectual growth: counseling former patients, working for the NYC Fire Department pension, and enrolling in courses at Fordham University.

Throughout the years, Don most enjoyed his time on the ocean in Montauk surrounded by friends, family, and fluke. He was a lifelong learner, a passionate fisherman, and a prolific eater—consuming enough lobsters and clams to threaten the next generation of shellfish across the East Coast. Don cared deeply about the people in his life, including an extended medical family of doctors and patients, changing countless lives through his brilliant care. Faced with a difficult disease, Don maintained an active social life and a persistent sense of humor. We take comfort in some of his final words, which he shared between bites of ribeye steak, charred octopus, and Maryland crab: “We don’t feel great, but we eat great.”