Robert P. Sheon

Dr. Robert Philip Sheon (Bob), a long-time resident of Silver Spring Maryland, passed away on December 19, 2019. Born November 7, 1934 in Canton, Ohio, to Benjamin William Sheon and Kate Rappaport Sheon, Bob was a beloved physician, teacher, son, husband, father and grandfather.

Bob attended DeVilbiss High School and the University of Toledo, graduating cum laude at the age of 19. He married Irma Shainberg in 1957, then graduated from St. Louis University Medical School. He completed his internal medicine residency at the Cleveland Clinic, training in rheumatology. As a Captain in the Air Force, he served as Chief of Medicine at Nellis Air Force Base from 1962 to 1964.

Dr. Sheon returned to Toledo in 1964 to found the rheumatology department of the Toledo Clinic and later, established the Rheumatology Division of the Medical College of Ohio, where he was a Clinical Professor of Medicine. He received several awards for service and excellence in teaching. He also founded the Northwest Ohio chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, serving on local and national boards and was Chief of Medicine, Director of Clinical Education, and Chairman of the Rheumatology Department for Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio. Dr. Sheon was a superb diagnostician, discerning the cause of bone and joint pain through careful discussion, observation, and physical exams.

In 1982, with Roland Moskowitz and Victor Goldberg, Dr. Sheon published Soft Tissue Rheumatic Pain: Recognition, Management, Prevention, the first textbook ever written on the topic. He also wrote dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and published Coping with Arthritis for patients. Dr. Sheon’s work has been particularly influential in osteoarthritis, a leading cause of disability in older adults. He referred a family with an extensive and unusual family history of the disease to Dr. Moskowitz. Moskowitz and other collaborators subsequently identified the defect in the collagen gene responsible for their early onset form of the disease, publishing the results in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1990.

After retirement, Bob and Irma relocated to Maryland. For over a decade he served as Rheumatology Section Editor for UpToDate, the primary source of evidence-based medical information used by physicians worldwide.

Some of Bob’s many personal interests included fishing, bridge, poker, art, bird-watching, and music. To his last days, he retained his love and devotion to Irma, admiring and supporting her efforts in social justice, economic opportunity, Holocaust education, and anti-gerrymandering. He shared her joy as the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019. He used his diagnostic and mechanical skills at home to peacefully resolve differences, fix broken items, and make toys and furniture. He was a supportive, accepting, honest and kind father and grandfather, and a friend and father-figure to many.

During his more than 15 years with Parkinson’s disease, Bob contributed to medical research, participating in many studies at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Determined to minimize the suffering caused by the disease to himself, family and caregivers, Bob left this world with the dignity that characterized his life.

In addition to his parents, Bob was pre-deceased by his brothers Aaron and Gary. He is survived by his wife Irma, his children, Sarah Gerecke (Jeff), Amy Sheon, and David (Michal Fishman); and grandchildren Renata and Claudia Gerecke; Zachary, Jesse and Evie Krislov; and Nathan and Lila Sheon. Arrangements by Hines-Rinaldi. A Celebration of Life is being planned for the future. Contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.