Dr. Charles Andrew Sanislow M.D. Jr.

Charles Andrew Sanislow, Jr., M.D. passed away peacefully at My Michigan Medical Center Midland on the evening of March 14th, 2026, surrounded by family and caring friends. Charlie is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sallie Elizabeth (nee Laube), and his three sons, Dr. Charles Andrew Sanislow III (Andrea Patalano) of Essex, Connecticut, Todd Richard Sanislow (Susan) of Wrentham, Massachusetts, James Robert Sanislow (Laura) of Houston, Texas, his daughter Kathryn Anne Olson (Alain Di-Tommaso) of Mashpee, Massachusetts; his beloved grandchildren, William Sanislow, James Sanislow, Addison Turner (Taylor), Sydney Baggett (Evan), Payton Sanislow, Benjamin Olson, Luke Olson, and great grandchildren, Atticus and Leland Turner, and Sawyer and Emily Baggett. He is also survived by his brother Robert Henry Sanislow and his wife Judy of Westfield, New Jersey. Charlie was predeceased by his father Charles Sr. in 1964, and by his mother, Margaret (nee Beda) in 2003, who lived to be 100. Charlie was born on Armistice Day 1930 in Rahway, New Jersey where he grew up trapping muskrat on the banks of the Rahway River and fishing with his father. His interest in science and medicine spawned when as a youngster he “discovered” test tubes, other lab equipment and discarded chemicals in a dumpster at Merck Pharmaceuticals. He took them home to “experiment with” and his career path was set in motion. He graduated Rahway High School and commuted to nearby Rutgers intending to pursue dentistry but changing to pre-med. His father, a Navy and Coast Guard Veteran, was a house painter and Charlie helped him build the family home that still stands today. Charlie’s mother was devoted to his success, riding the bus from Rahway to Elizabeth each day, working as department store clerk, saving money for Charlie’s and his brother Bob’s college educations. After Rutgers, Charlie completed his M.D. at University of Maryland followed by a surgical residency at the University of Michigan. It was there that he met his bride Sallie, whom he married in 1960. Following residency, Charlie entered the Air Force where his service included Chief of Surgery at Otis Air Force Base during the Kennedy Presidency. It was a bumpy time in history with the promise of Camelot marked by many world events. Despite callings to remain on Cape Cod, Charlie was drawn back to the “U” in Ann Arbor. But after two years on the clinical faculty of the medical school, he was lured to Midland to join a budding surgical practice with Drs. Bulmer and Pollock. (The deal was sealed in part with the attraction of hunting and fishing in the great Michigan outdoors made by the Towsley brothers, Harry and Wilbur.) It was there that the then Midland Hospital became his home. There he fervently honed innovative surgical techniques that he learned at U of M to strengthen medical care for the Midland community. In the pre-specialization days of medicine, Charlie was expert in vascular surgery, general surgery, surgical treatments for cancers, trauma surgery (his practice of three provided surgical coverage for the emergency room for decades), not to mention sewing up his children when the need arose. He served in many leadership roles and built alliances between the physicians and the hospital administration that led to advances such as the establishment of premier Emergency Medical Services in Midland, cancer treatment for women, and a non-invasive vascular lab for diagnosis. He played a pivotal role cementing the relationship between Mid-Michigan Health Center and the University of Michigan. After stepping down from the practice of surgery in his 60s, Charlie channeled his talents directing the non-invasive vascular lab, teaching physicians and technicians alike about the pathologies revealed by the ultrasonic images until he retired at age of 89. Throughout his life in Michigan, Charlie devotedly returned to the Cape every summer, family in tow (including his mother), for all to learn to snorkel, fish, and catch and eat flounder, lobsters and clams from Cape Cod Bay. But Charlie’s true passion was back in Michigan, “up north,” a tract of land abutting the south property line of the Benmark Club. There he managed the forest with selective cutting and he planted and harvested trees including oak, pine, poplar, which he sold to be made into paper and framing lumber. This was his tireless avocation where every free weekend was spent with his family, staying in one-room hunting cabins while transforming the property and its water into an Eden of fruit trees, fishing, hunting, and recreating in the old 1946 Willys rescued from the farm field, or the Scout, snowmobiles, ATVs, and cross-country skis (and there even was a small downhill slope with a rope tow!). It was a family affair - his children and many of their friends help to plant 5000 red pine trees in a gravel pit one summer, and routinely cleared timber to blaze trails and to expand two large ponds. All of the kids also learned to drive stick-shift, speeding around the many trails in the jeep and Scout. Nowhere was Charlie more at home and satisfied then sitting in the living room of his cabin with his loving wife Sallie after a hard day of chores, with his feet up while gazing out the window at his creation, watching the deer, anticipating a special supper cooked by Sallie and looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Recently, he was called on to draw from his experience from his time at Otis to help with a book project about the birth of Patrick Kennedy when Charlie was stationed there. His interviews with the author were deeply satisfying and filled vital gaps in the story about how JFK’s loss of Patrick led to efforts to transform pre-natal health care. But Charlie’s most enduring professional legacy was with his Midland colleagues and the many patients he treated over the years. It was only fitting that Charlie spent his last days at MyMichigan, the hospital that he dedicated his life’s work. His family is especially thankful for the care providers who offered every conceivable support in his final days, especially the stellar ICU staff and also the many physicians and nurses who knew or had heard of Charlie and came by to check on him. His family is forever grateful for kindness and compassion shown by all those there. In lieu of flowers, Charlie has asked that donations be made in his name to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org).