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In Memoriam: NAFA Past President Sheehan

Pat Sheehan, past president of NAFA and longtime fleet director at Baxter, died on July 27 following a long illness. He was 87.

Andy Lundin
Andy LundinFormer Senior Editor
July 31, 2019
1 min to read


Pat Sheehan

Photo by Mike Antich

Pat Sheehan, past president of NAFA and longtime fleet director at Baxter, died on July 27 following a long illness. He was 87.

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Sheehan served as president of NAFA from 1983 to 1985, and offered more than 50 years of service to the organization. He also spent more than 30 years at Baxter as director of corporate fleet.

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Sheehan was an early member of NAFA, and was also instrumental in the development of the Certified Fleet Manager (CFM) program via the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania; a precursor to what would ultimately become NAFA's Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM) program, recognized today as the industry standard for fleet education.

He was also on the commercial fleet advisory board for Ford Motor Co.

Sheehan was a 1949 graduate of St. Ignatius College Prep and graduated from the University Of Notre Dame in 1955, having had his education interrupted to serve in the Air Force.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Helen; children Gina Sitko, Marny Johnson and Jamie Sheehan; grandchildren Katy, Erin, Patrick, Maureen, James, and Bridget; brother Mary Katherine Chandler and seven nieces and nephews.

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