Michael M. McGonigle, M.D.

Michael M. McGonigle, MD, of Fountain Hills, Ariz., passed away Monday July 9, 2018, after declining health. He was born Sept. 8, 1941, son of Patrick McGonigle, MD and Irene Niemeier, RN.

Michael spent much of his childhood in Pueblo, Colo. until his family moved to Prescott where he graduated high school from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1959. He attended Santa Clara University and majored in Physics, and later joined the first class of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. He was elected into Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and received his MD degree in 1968.

He spent a year as an intern in Surgery at Stanford University, and in 1969 he volunteered to join the US Navy for two years during the Vietnam War where he saw active duty as a general medical officer. He was stationed at various field hospitals in Quảng Trị Province with the 3rd Marine Division before being transferred to serve at Jacksonville Naval Hospital. He was honorably discharged.

He continued his training with a residency in General Surgery at the University of New Mexico, followed by three years of residency in Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California San Francisco, where he met his dear wife, Jeanne (Cooper) McGonigle RN. Upon completion of training, the couple moved to Joplin, Mo. in 1975 where they raised three children. Michael started a private practice as an ear nose and throat surgeon and practiced for 29 years and treated over 40,000 patients. Upon retirement in 2004, the couple moved to Fountain Hills and later split their time between Arizona and Sparks, Nev.

Throughout his life, Michael was well read and interested in a number of intellectual fields including physics, medicine, economics, history, politics, and a wide variety of other subjects. He pursed many activities such as skiing, scuba diving, aviation, travelling, jewelry making, tig welding and design of custom intercoolers for turbocharged cars.

He will be remembered for his kindness, his knowledge on a wide variety of subjects, his amazing long term memory, his great stories, excellent advice, work ethic, and humbleness. He was a loving husband and father and respected by the community. He will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Jeanne (Cooper) McGonigle; his children, Kelly Hammerstone and husband, James of Sparks, Nev., Kerry Kreidel and husband, R. Joseph of San Antonio, Texas, son, John McGonigle and wife, Andrea of Santa Monica Calif.; and his five grandchildren, Jacob and Ryan Hammerstone, and Asher, Adelaide, and Cruz Kreidel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to the Andre House at www.andrehouse.org.

A funeral was held at noon on Monday, July 16 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church.