Healy, Dr. Alfred

Alfred Healy, M.D.

1934 - 2012

Dr. Alfred Healy, 77, died peacefully in Grand Marais, Minn., on Thursday morning, April 19, 2012. Dr. Healy, along with his wife, Janet, had recently moved to Grand Marais to call the North Shore home.

Alfred (Al) Healy was born Oct., 27, 1934, in Streator, Ill. He received a BA in Physical Education from the University of Notre Dame in 1956. In 1957, he earned an MA from the University of Iowa, emphasizing the education of children with developmental disabilities. His continued passion for working with disabled children ultimately earned him his Doctor of Medicine in 1963, followed by residency in Pediatrics and fellowship in Mental Retardation and Chronic Illness at the University of Iowa in 1967.

Dr. Healy served as a professor at the University of Iowa, in both the College of Education and College of Medicine. He served as a staff physician, medical director and director of the University Hospital School, eventually leading to his appointment as the director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

His diverse professional services included chairing the Committee on Children with Disabilities for the American Academy of Pediatrics and serving as president of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. He served several terms on the Iowa Council for the Prevention of Disabilities and was currently an adjunct professor at Des Moines University and a lecturer for the Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program and Iowa's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Project (ILEND).

Dr. Healy frequently worked on behalf of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation and served in the creation of facilities and programs in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan and Russia. As an advocate for individuals with disabilities, he frequently testified before committees of both houses of Congress and facilitated several federal projects to train pediatricians and health care professionals.

Professional honors and awards include presentation of the Ross Award for Lifetime Achievement in Pediatric Education by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Alfred Healy Clinic was dedicated in his name at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Upon Dr. Healy's retirement in 1998, Senator Tom Harkin read a tribute to his accomplishments into the Congressional Record of the United States.

In 1961, he met Janet Rae Taylor of Clinton, Iowa, and they were married three years later. They raised three sons and a daughter in Iowa City, Mike, Andy, Tom and Amy. Together they pursued several projects including and certainly not limited to gardening, farming, numerous paper routes, 4-H projects, automotive restoration, athletics, academics, masonry, photography, woodworking, animal husbandry, home improvement and annual family pilgrimages to Northern Minnesota.

Most recently, Al served on the board of directors of North House Folk School in Grand Marais. He loved woodworking, writing, bookbinding and was passionate about genealogy and Irish history. More than anything else, he loved his family.

Al's grandchildren are Taylor Healy of Minneapolis, Aidan and Liam Healy of Minneapolis and Linnaea and Robin Henrikson of Grand Marais; his sons, daughter and their spouses are, Mike and Judy Healy of Minneapolis, Andy Healy of Minneapolis, Tom and Meagen Healy of Whitefish, Mont. and Amy and Peter Henrikson of Grand Marais.

His siblings are Andy Healy, Mark Healy and Mary Miller, all of Florida.

Together with Jan, they look forward to sharing a memorial mass and celebration of Al's life with friends, extended family and community at 1 p.m. St. John's Catholic Church in Grand Marais. A memorial celebration of his life will be held in at 4 p.m. June 1 in Iowa City, in the Center for Disabilities and Development, University Iowa Childrens Hospital.

Memorial contributions may be sent in memory of Al Healy to  the University of Iowa Foundation, 1 W. Park Rd., Iowa City, IA 52242.  Contributions will endow an award to foster   individuals professional development in developmental disabilities.

Published in The Gazette May 2, 2012.

Information on memorial contributions added to online obituary May 3

Second notice published in The Gazette May 5