Article published November 26, 2009
DR. BERNARD SISMAN, 1919-2009
Physician started 1st pediatric unit in area
Dr. Bernard Sisman, who established the first pediatric medical practice in Monroe, died Monday at his home. He was 90.
Dr. Sisman had been diagnosed just months ago with prostate cancer, his daughter, Tobi Sisman, said.
Dr. Sisman was a small boy living in Youngstown when he decided to become a pediatrician, Ms. Sisman said. "He had such a good heart," Ms. Sisman said. "Something about the idea of vulnerability, and helping people who were vulnerable. It mattered to him that people got cared for."
Dr. Sisman was pursuing his bachelor's degree in zoology at the University of Michigan when he was introduced to his future wife, the late Harriet Sisman. As he was president of the fraternity her older brother joined, Dr. Sisman struck a fast friendship with his future wife's mother during a campus visit. His wife was 15 and he was 21 when her mother introduced them.
Dr. Sisman served in the Air Force during World War II, earning the Bronze Star medal with oak leaf cluster and the rank of captain.
He maintained a relationship with his future wife by pen and paper during the war. The couple were married after his discharge in 1946 and had four children.Dr. Sisman earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati, interning at Grace Hospital in Detroit and establishing pediatric residency at Children's Hospital in Detroit.
He planted roots in Monroe, becoming the first pediatrician based here in 1953. Dr. Sisman earned the respect of the community, said Dr. William Middleton, a family physician who built his own practice at the same time.
"He was well trained and confident," Dr. Middleton said.
Dr. John Burroughs, another family physician in Monroe, said Dr. Sisman was a caring person with an upbeat bedside manner.
"He had a very excellent sense of humor," Dr. Burroughs said. "He was a good teller of jokes, and he always appreciated a good joke."
Ms. Sisman added that her father was a "supportive parent" who didn't flinch when her sister, Pam Bitterman, announced that she would sail around the world at 28-years-old. He tracked her by hanging a world map on the wall of his study, and marked her destinations with pushpins.
He served on the Monroe Board of Education in the 1960s, and was involved in the establishment of the community college here.
Dr. Sisman retired from his medical practice in 1989, but continued working as head of medical education at Mercy Memorial Hospital in Monroe. He remained on the board of the Monroe County Community College Foundation until his death.
He is survived by his daughters, Denise LeVine, Pam Bitterman, and Tobi Sisman; sister, Allie Rome, and two grandchildren.
Services will be 4 p.m. Friday at Ira Kaufman Chapel in Southfield, Mich. Friends may call Friday evening at Temple B'nai Israel in Monroe. The family suggests memorial contributions to the Monroe Community College Foundation or Temple B'nai Israel.
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