SOUTH BOARDMAN, Mich. — A Greenfield couple died in a plane crash late last week in northern Michigan.
Thomas and Mary Lynn Wolfe were well known in the medical community, each have long and celebrated careers in healthcare networks in Central Indiana.
The Wolfes were killed when their single-engine plane crashed about 20 miles southeast of Traverse City, Michigan, Friday afternoon. The cause of the crash remains unknown, with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board conducting a joint investigation, according to the Associated Press.
Thomas Wolfe, 71, who was flying the aircraft, was a retired pediatric anesthesiologist who worked most recently at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, officials said.
Mary Lynn Wolfe, 70, was a radiologist at Hancock Regional Hospital for nearly 30 years prior to her retirement some six years ago, hospital leaders confirmed.
They leave behind three children, friends say.
The crash occurred just after 2 p.m. Friday in Kalkaska County.
Witnesses told police the couple’s aircraft spiraled toward the ground, not far from an oil field storage facility, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle. The engine and wings of the small, red airplane broke away from its fuselage, and lifesaving measures by first-responders were fruitless, the newspaper reports.
News of couple’s passing brought gloom to Hancock Health Monday, officials said.
During her tenure at Greenfield hospital, Mary Lynn Wolfe gained a reputation of being a caring physician and friendly colleague, who outside of work loved to sew and garden.
She hummed through her procedures to give her charges peace of mind; she always listened to classical music as she worked; and she had a special place her heart for the fight against breast cancer, likely inspired by her years working as the hospital’s chief mammographer.
She took her work seriously; but whenever she spared time for a laugh, it lit up the room, said Dr. Lawrence Lo, who practices in the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department.
“She was a genuinely nice person who made our corner of the world a better place,” Lo said.
Thomas Wolfe also spent time at Hancock Regional Hospital early in his career, friends say.
Dr. Ted Gabielsen said Thomas Wolfe worked briefly at what was Hancock Memorial Hospital some 30 years ago while he was still in medical school.
He was an energetic young man, excited to be starting in the medical field, Gabrielsen remembered. He carried that enthusiasm with him through the rest of his career, working for many years at the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis before heading to Riley, where he eventually retired.
“It’s a tragedy to lose both of them,” Gabrielsen said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.