Edward Brian MacMahon, M.D.

November 18, 1926 – December 29, 2022

Dr. Edward Brian MacMahon, a long-time resident of The Plains, Virginia and a highly-regarded orthopedic surgeon in the Washington area passed away on December 29, 2022 at home with family. He was 96.

He was born on November 18, 1926, at the family home “Moyarta” in Hurstville, just outside of Sydney, Australia. Dr. MacMahon grew up with a deep love for nature and a taste for adventure. At the age of 17, Dr. MacMahon enlisted in the Australian Army and served as an infantry rifleman fighting the Japanese in Papua, New Guinea. While a soldier he studied the work of surgeons in the field and after the war graduated from Saint Ignatius’ College Riverview and the University of Sydney Medical School. In the early 1950s, he was accepted into the rigorous surgical program at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Initially he studied general surgery, but this turned into a three-year orthopedic residency and his career in orthopedics.

During his residency, he was introduced to a young nurse – Ann Sheridan of Alexandria, Virginia. The two began dating with frequent trips to the movies and scenic drives, and were soon married. Together, Ed and Ann had six children, living in Annandale and then Springfield before moving to The Plains in 1971 where they would remain for more than 50 years.

Dr. MacMahon was a senior resident at DC General Hospital and later among the original staff members of Fairfax Hospital and served twice alongside U.S. troops in Vietnam as a volunteer surgeon with MEDICO. He was also involved in research at Walter Reed Veterans Hospital and helped develop the biomechanics laboratory at Georgetown Hospital. Despite his surgical achievements throughout his career, Dr. MacMahon was a firm believer in finding therapeutic methods for the body to heal, with surgery as a last resort. As such, he dedicated the latter half of his life to researching and developing non-invasive orthopedic methods, primarily for the treatment of scoliosis.

A man of many passions and unending curiosity, Dr. MacMahon’s interests extended far past medicine, including world history, poetry, war and peace, literature, botany, astronomy, calculus, conservation, flying, farming, swimming, scuba diving and, of course, his beloved family. The curator of an extensive home library, hundreds of books, magazines and journals stood organized by subject surrounding his latest research projects and recent experiments. A voracious reader and an extraordinary storyteller, Dr. MacMahon shared books and articles with the same generosity as the daffodils he quietly planted along the roadsides of Fauquier County. Until his passing, Dr. MacMahon was the oldest Australian living in the U.S. and was presented a Bull Allen statue, the Embassy’s highest honor, by the Australian Ambassador to the U.S. in 2019. Although honored, Dr. MacMahon was most proud of his family, whose roots extend from one side of the world to the other. He will be dearly missed by his children and grandchildren.

Dr. MacMahon was preceded in death by his wife, Ann, a sister, Yvette MacMahon Egan, a brother, Owen MacMahon, and a grandson, Jamie MacMahon. He is survived by his six children, Paul MacMahon (Marion) of Upperville, VA, Margaret MacMahon Carroll (Tommy) of Middleburg, Edward MacMahon Jr. of Middleburg, Steven MacMahon (Tracie) of Broad Run, VA, John MacMahon of Intervale, NH, and Helen MacMahon (Mark Mickum) of The Plains, VA and ten grandchildren Brian MacMahon, Drew MacMahon, Matthew MacMahon, Kiely MacMahon, Thomas Carroll III, Adela Griswold, Edward MacMahon III, Alexandra MacMahon, Katie MacMahon, and Annie Stowe Mickum.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Dr. MacMahon’s honor to the Bull Run Mountain Conservancy 17405 Beverley Mill Drive, Broad Run, VA 20137 (https://www. brmconservancy.org) or simply plant a tree or daffodil.