NORFOLK – Dr. Mark Greenspan, a dis- tinguished physician and attorney, passed away peacefully August 5, following com- plications of old age.
Dr. Greenspan is survived by his wife Betty, whom he married in 2000 and lived with in Tidewater until his death; his former wife, Ethel-Raye, and their children, Jeffrey (Cindy), Amy-Ann Mayberg
( Jeremy), and John-Jay; his four grandchild- ren, Bradley, David, Jamie, and Maxwell; his great-granddaughter, Avery; and his sister, Zelda Curtiss, of Pittsburgh. His family, including six children, eight grand- children, a great grandchild, many loving cousins, nieces and nephews, will miss him dearly and appreciated his presence in their lives.
Dr. Greenspan was born on March 22, 1936, in Far Rockaway, N.Y. to Jerome and Sylvia Greenspan. He attended Union College but departed early to attend Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City on a full scholarship.
While serving his country as a ship’s doctor in the United States Navy, he moved to Norfolk and married Ethel-Raye Nesson in 1962. Following his naval ser- vice, he completed his surgical residency at Jacobi Hospital in the Bronx, returning to Norfolk again in 1968.
Dr. Greenspan spent over 35 years as a renowned local surgeon. He earned a repu- tation as a “doctor’s doctor” and a caring and honorable physician. He served members
of the community who otherwise could not afford surgical care, many traveling great distances to see him. During the 1980s, he was one of two surgeons willing to operate on AIDS patients in all of Southeastern Virginia. He testified before a Senate Committee to help Sentara Norfolk General get funding for its first Nightingale Helicopter and was instrumental in the creation of Hampton Roads’ first trauma center.
Dr. Greenspan’s passion was medicine, medical ethics, and medical education. Dr. Greenspan served as Chief of Surgery at DePaul Hospital and helped to draft Ethics standards for the medical community. He donated generously to Sentara Hospital, EVMS. In addition, Dr. Greenspan was a Professor of Surgery at EVMS and interviewed prospective candidates for admission to the medical school.
Never content to relax, Dr. Greenspan graduated from William & Mary Law School at age 65 after hanging up his stethoscope in his early 60’s. He spent his last professional decade practicing law before the Vaccine Injury Court in Washington, DC, fighting for families with children whose lives had been impacted by vaccine-related injuries.
Dr. Greenspan was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Norfolk. Memorial gifts to either the Greenspan Education Fund at the Sentara Center for Healthcare Simulation & Immersive Learning, or the Mark Greenspan Family Fund at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. Online condolences can be made at hdoliver.com.