Richard and Deborah Pascoe Give $1M to Munson Cardiac Care

Richard (Rick) and Deborah (Debbie) Pascoe of Traverse City donated $1,000,000 to Munson Healthcare Foundations to support cardiac care, a gift Munson announced in a Feb. 23, 2026 press release and framed as being made in recognition of American Heart Month. Munson said the gift will support its heart program through the Webber Heart Center and the Traverse Heart and Vascular network, which the system describes as northern Michigan’s most comprehensive cardiovascular programs.

Dr. Dino Recchia, MD, FACC, Heart and Vascular Service Line Medical Director for Munson Healthcare, called the donation “extraordinary” and tied it directly to patient care: “We are grateful for this extraordinary $1 million gift and the trust it demonstrates in our heart team at Munson. Rick and Debbie’s generosity will directly enhance our ability to deliver advanced, lifesaving care for patients across northern Michigan. Through investments like this, we can continue providing the highest level of cardiac care for many years to come.”

The gift also carries local significance. Richard Pascoe practiced as a periodontist in northern Michigan for more than 40 years and, Munson’s release says, “was a lifelong supporter of local healthcare before his death in November 2025.” The release credits neighbors Bob and Pauline Young as inspirations for Richard’s legacy gift, and it quotes Pascoe’s surviving family: “Pascoe’s wife and children share that seeing future advancements in cardiac care made possible by Richard’s generosity brings them comfort and helps them honor his life.”

Munson positioned the Pascoe gift within a broader regional care model that relies on philanthropy to extend services beyond Traverse City. Debra Henderson, president for Munson Healthcare Foundations and chief development officer for Munson Healthcare, is quoted in wider coverage as saying donations “directly benefit patients in 29 counties across northern Michigan, providing up to 30 percent of the annual funding needed to upgrade and expand essential services.” Ed Ness, Munson Healthcare president and CEO, described such support as transformative for rural health systems facing expensive technology and staffing needs.

Other recent philanthropy at Munson includes a separate $2.5 million Witham family gift to stroke care; the system has reported that gift in the context of raising $6.8 million for stroke services to date. Munson’s materials emphasize that through its Webber Heart Center and the Traverse Heart and Vascular network “thousands of patients receive world-class heart care at Munson each year,” underscoring the regional reach of the Pascoe donation.

Residents who want information about Munson’s cardiac services or to support the foundation can contact Munson Healthcare at 1105 Sixth St., Traverse City, MI 49684, phone 231-935-5000, or Munson Healthcare Foundations at 231-213-1150 or foundation@munsonhealthcare.org. The Pascoe gift, announced Feb. 23 and republished by local outlets Feb. 24, 2026, will now be folded into Munson’s cardiac programs serving northern Michigan.