Feature Article
By Allison Hunter
This article was originally published in the September/October 2026 issue of Tarrant County Physician.
The late Dr. Shirley A. Molenich Hetreed (1948–2025), a neurologist who devoted her entire career to caring for patients throughout Tarrant County, is continuing her legacy through Tarrant County Academy of Medicine (TCAM), TCMS’s nonprofit arm. A strong advocate for medical education, research, and organized medicine, Dr. Molenich chose to leave a generous bequest to TCAM to continue her support of medicine in Tarrant County.
Susan Blue, MD, a fellow Tarrant County neurologist, says that Dr. Molenich worked tirelessly for her patients and the advancement of neurological practice.
“She was the first female president of Texas Neurological Society,” Dr. Blue remembers. “She was instrumental in the early leadership of that organization, which was founded in 1974. . . . Dr. Molenich had a busy office practice and hospital practice. She was an excellent neurologist who treated her patients with compassion. They knew how much she cared about them.”
Dr. Molenich graduated from the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 1972, and by 1983, she had fully completed her residencies and fellowship and was board certified in neurology. During residency, she married her husband, Bill Hetreed, with whom she shared a happy marriage until he passed away in 2023. They loved traveling together to see their many nieces and nephews, and Bill frequently attended medical conferences alongside Dr. Molenich.
When she was ready to start her practice, Dr. Molenich came to Texas, where she spent the rest of her career. She was passionate about taking care of her patients and was ready to take on even the hardest cases.
“She accepted Medicaid because she liked taking care of the adults in group homes who were challenged with seizures and intellectual difficulties,” says Marie Kelly, MD, a retired psychiatrist and a dear friend of Dr. Molenich. “The money never mattered to her. She spent endless hours getting preapprovals for new medicines for severe migraine and multiple sclerosis.”
And when her patients suffered, she was not only compassionate but empathetic. In her 20s, Dr. Molenich developed severe arthritis, and she battled chronic pain for the rest of her life. Still, she continued to share her wisdom with patients for the many years leading up to her retirement in 2014.
“I was always proud of practicing medicine along with Shirley, who demonstrated the concern, empathy, and knowledge that good physicians are expected to demonstrate,” says Steve Martin, MD, an emergency medicine physician who met Dr. Molenich at St. Joseph’s Hospital when she was on call for neurology. “Her volunteerism was deeply appreciated by the community she served. We miss Shirley and that kind, big smile of hers.”
Volunteerism was an important part of Dr. Molenich’s life. She served on the TCMS and TCMSA Allied Health Scholarship Committee for many years, including several as chair. And she not only served as president of the Texas Neurological Society but also helped organize a number of their meetings on both the state and local level. Throughout her career and even into retirement, Dr. Molenich was an active member of both Texas Medical Association and our own TCMS. Dr. Molenich joined TCMS board meetings and Women in Medicine events as often as she could.
She was also a very involved member of the Sertoma (SERvice TO MAnkind) Club of Fort Worth, an organization that provides support for those struggling with speech, hearing, and language disorders; she served as their president for five years. Dr. Molenich was also a member of the Fort Worth branch of the Hearing Loss Association of America, and she led a collaboration between the two organizations to put on a day-long Hearing Wellness Expo in both 2018 and 2019, which took place at TCMS. She was well on the way to planning the third event when COVID-19 prevented it from going forward. Per Sertoma, these events, which were open to the public, provided the latest research on hearing loss, resources, services, and technology.
Dr. Molenich led a life that was wholeheartedly poured out for those she served. At TCMS, we want to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude for Dr. Molenich—for the person she was, the impact she made, and the legacy that will continue because of her love for her patients and the practice of medicine.
