MASSENA -- The Massena Memorial Hospital Foundation has received a $100,000 donation from Skip and Meg Herman of Chicago to name the lobby of Massena Memorial in honor of Dr. Henry J. Dobies.

Herman, who is married to Dr. Dobies’ daughter, Meg (“Mugs”), surprised his wife with this tribute to her father and community figure last month.

MMH Foundation executive director Julia Rose said Skip Herman had been working on this surprise for over a year as a birthday gift for his wife. His gift was a double surprise - first surprising his wife and then the rest of her family when she shared the news over the Thanksgiving weekend.

"It was a wonderful surprise. My father loved this community and loved practicing medicine at this hospital. Our family is proud and pleased to be a part of this recognition," Meg Herman said in a news release from the MMHF.

The lobby will formally become the - Dr. Henry J. Dobies Lobby in the spring of 2017.

“Dr. Dobies was a fixture of healthcare in Massena for over a half century. His caring hands tended to the young and elderly alike. He greeted his private practice patients, the students and athletes from three school districts, and the elderly at the St. Regis Nursing Home with the same tender care. Now all that enter the hospital will be greeted with the same. It’s so fitting," Rose said.

“MMH has been fortunate to have the support of many talented professionals over the years – none more so than Dr. Henry Dobies”, said Robert Wolleben, MMH chief executive. “Through his dedication and passion he helped build much of what MMH has become today. I share in the pride of all of our staff in recognizing his career at MMH through the naming of our lobby as the Dr. Henry J. Dobies Lobby. The Massena Memorial Hospital Foundation has been instrumental in facilitating this recognition and supporting the important work of MMH.”

“On behalf of the MMH Foundation, I would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Herman for their generous gift in recognizing Dr. Henry Dobies, his wife Margaret and his family. We are tremendously grateful for this thoughtful gift in honor of a cherished member of the MMH family. All MMH patients will benefit from their generosity and kindness," MMHF President Miriam Catapano said in the release.

The MMH Foundation is the fundraising entity for Massena Memorial. The  group funds programs that "enhance patient care through the purchase of equipment, staff support, capital improvements, technology upgrades, and patient comfort initiatives," their release said. The Hermans' gift will be used in a manner that supports this mission.

“Naming opportunities are a testament to the impact one has made as an individual. These donations are highly emotional and personal, as they should be. It has been our extreme honor to assist Mr. and Mrs. Herman with this very special recognition of a very special man," Rose said.