Dr. Erich Pontasch

(News story) Dr. Erich Pontasch, who brought energy and empathy to his long practice of emergency medicine, died Monday of cardiac arrest at Mercy Health St. Anne Hospital. He was 62.

He was on track to retire, son Scott Pontasch said.

Dr. Pontasch was a former chief of staff at St. Anne and worked in the emergency department. He completed his residency in the emergency department of what is now Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center and worked in the former Riverside Mercy Hospital emergency room.

In a specialty known for high burnout rates, "he ended up doing it for 30, 35 years, loving every minute he was there," said his son Dr. Gregory Pontasch, a resident in St. Vincent's emergency department. "He loved interacting with people."

Colleagues noticed his attitude.

"I learned from him how not to get burned out," said Dr. Zak Husain, also a longtime emergency physician. "He understood that you work hard, but you also play. That's a take-home from him that I had."

His son Gregory, who as a medical student shadowed him, noticed how he would make sure to be at the patient's eye level.

"He'd sit down and listen. Even with a busy emergency department, he found a way to take a second and listen," son Gregory said. "He loved the problem solving. He was incredible at it."

The fast pace of emergency care attracted him, son Scott said.

"He enjoyed the adrenaline aspect, even taking the ER on the road with Life Flight," son Scott said.

For 16 years, Dr. Pontasch served aboard Life Flight medical helicopters.

"Helping people - that's what he said was the most important part. That's what got him up in the morning," son Scott said.

Dr. Pontasch, a medical doctor, appreciated the holistic approach of osteopathic medicine, son Scott said. In 1999, he was named Riverside's preceptor of the year for his commitment and service to educating students from the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

More than a decade earlier, Dr. Pontasch received notice for recognizing a patient's true condition, beyond vital signs. A man who could not hear or speak arrived to the Riverside ER by ambulance after suffering a panic attack at the Humane Society, where his ill, elderly dog died.

Dr. Pontasch recalled a hospital staffer's ad in a hospital publication offering puppies for sale. Communicating through sign language, Dr. Pontasch asked if the patient wanted another dog. The patient said yes. The staffer agreed to give the patient a puppy, which a unit clerk retrieved from the staffer's home.

The patient hugged the 10-week-old bundle of fluff, tears giving way to a broad smile.

"I realized his problem was more along the lines of a broken heart than heart problems," Dr. Pontasch told The Blade in 1987.

Dr. Husain, who knew Dr. Pontasch for 35 years, said: "He was very easygoing, affable, the kind of person who would instantly become a friend, and was a very tolerant person. When you saw the way he treated other people, you learned to like him."

He was born April 7, 1957, in Toledo to Dolores and Dr. Walter Pontasch. He grew up in Pemberville, where his father had a medical practice. He was a graduate of St. John's Jesuit High School and the University of Toledo, and played hockey for both schools. He received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio.

He liked to travel, followed sports - particularly the Red Wings and Lions - and had wide-ranging tastes in movies and television.

He was formerly married to Susan Perz Pontasch.

Surviving are his sons, Scott and Gregory Pontasch; mother, Dolores Pontasch; brothers, Kurt and Martin Pontasch, and sister, Elisabeth Pontasch.

Visitation will be from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at Ansberg-West Funeral Home.

The family suggests tributes to the University of Toledo CommunityCares Clinics.

This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.