By Mary Sue Dehn
Noyes Health
DANSVILLE- When Jon Shay passed away on Jan. 18, Noyes Health lost a leader, supporter and tireless champion.
As a hospital board member and a Noyes Health Foundation Board member for decades, Jon’s singular focus was always what was best for his community. In his obituary, Jon’s wife Linda and the Shay family asked that donations be made to the Foundation for Noyes Health in his memory.
“The passing of Jon Shay is a loss to the entire community, but a particularly devastating one for all of us at Noyes,” says Amy Pollard, President and CEO of Noyes, “Jon’s pick-up truck was a familiar site in the circle in front of the hospital where he would leave it briefly to come in and share yet another idea he had come up with to promote the hospital. All of his ideas were about making the hospital the best it could be to serve the people in Dansville and the surrounding region. But Jon wouldn’t just have ideas, he’d give of his time and his money to make those ideas a reality.”
When Jon passed, several of his close friends reached out to Ms. Pollard, asking how they could help honor Jon’s legacy of service to Noyes in a significant way.
“They wanted to support a project that would positively impact patient care,” explains Pollard, “and the idea of renovating Noyes’ inpatient care unit on the hospital’s third floor took shape. Once complete, the entire third floor will be named in Jon’s honor.”
Today, the Foundation for Noyes Health announces the inauguration of the Jon Shay Memorial Fund. Renovation of the entire third floor will cost approximately $450,000.
With initial gifts from Jon’s friends Phil Saunders, Kent Johnson and Les Cole, and now a larger group of donors inspired by their generosity, the fund is already halfway to its goal. All donations made so far in Jon Shay’s memory will be dedicated to the project, the Jon Shay Memorial Patient Care Unit.
Donations may be made online at noyes.urmc.edu (select the Giving tab), or by mail to The Foundation for Noyes Health, 111 Clara Barton Street, Dansville, NY 14437. Please indicate that the donation is for the Jon Shay Memorial Fund.