Dr. Frank Stanley Komorowski

Dr. Frank Stanley Komorowski

BELLEVUE: Dr. Frank Stanley Komorowski, 69, of Bellevue, Ohio, passed away peacefully to the arms of the Lord in the early hours of November 26, at Mercy Willard Hospital with his wife at his side, after a courageous four year long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Frank was born on January 18, 1945 to Frank and Daisy Alice ( Nelson) Komorowski in Lewes, Delaware. Frank's father, mother and sister, Gail Gale, all died before he graduated high school at Archmere Academy in Claymont, Delaware. He was then lovingly embraced by the arms of the Charles and Josephine Robinson family of Hockessin Delaware, and was blessed with many Robinson brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews.

Frank graduated from Lincoln University in Chatham, Pennsylvania, a traditionally black college, with a degree in mathematics. While at Lincoln he traveled to Selma , Alabama, and participated in the famous Selma Black Voting Registration movement. After college he worked as a metallurgical materials engineer for the Boeing Vertol division outside Philadelphia, and worked on his master's degree in engineering at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Subsequently Frank moved to Europe, studying German and Spanish at the Goethe Institute in Schwabische Hall, Bavaria, where he did U.N. Spanish-German translation. He studied computer sciences at the University of Saarbrucken, Germany before attending medical school at the University of Salamanca in Spain. While in medical school he did his clinical rotations in the U.S. at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and the University of Delaware. Dr. Komorowski, affectionately known as either "Dr. Frank" or "Dr. K," did his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey where he subsequently became the residency program director for a while and held a clinical professorship at Hahnemann University ( now Drexel University) as well as being a partner in West Park OB/GYN in Ocean, New Jersey.

While at Monmouth Medical Center Frank established the Alternate Birthing Center, a natural birthing unit. In 1990, wanting to practice in an underserved area, Frank and his wife, Dr. Mary J. Wall, moved to Bellevue, where he reestablished the obstetrical department at The Bellevue Hospital, which had been dormant for a few years. He had offices in Clyde, Tiffin, and Bellevue and was instrumental in bring laser surgery to and progressing laparoscopic surgery at The Bellevue Hospital. He was also on the staffs at Providence Hospital in Sandusky, Mercy Tiffin, and Fisher Titus Medical Center in Norwalk. During his career Frank helped bring more than 8000 babies into the world, including a set of triplets in the Bellevue area.

He held a clinical instructorship in OB/GYN at the Medical University of Ohio, and taught many medical students, nurse midwifery students, and proctored physician assistant students. He received the Ohio Friend of Nurse-midwifery award. During his practice, he served as President of the Huron County Medical Society, and as secretary treasurer of the medical staff at The Bellevue Hospital. A neck surgery ended his obstetrical career, but he continued active practice until January 1, 2013, when complications of his cancer made continuing practice difficult. He was a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Huron County Medical Society the Medical Society of New Jersey, and the Ohio State Medical Association.

Frank was best known, both nationally and internationally, as an expert in fine and rare wines, his experience starting during his years in Europe. His love of wine and fine food was shared with everyone he met, and his tutelage and generosity enriched the lives of scores of people, both locally and across the globe. Frank collected fine and rare wines, and made many fiends doing so. Frank was a member of the Royal Order of the Purple Palate ( ROPP) in Los Angeles. Known for his generosity and feeling that something so enjoyable should be used for the better good of humanity, he and his wife raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through their donations of wines to numerous charities, including the Ete du Vin events for the American Cancer Society of Nashville, the Russian National Orchestra, the American Cancer Societies of Toledo and Sandusky, the Hayes Presidential Center, Veggie University, and the Culinary Vegetable Institute.

Dr. Frank loved to travel and was known for his ability to mastermind complicated trips for groups of gourmands to Europe. Wanting to enrich his children's lives, he and his wife took his children to Egypt, Greece, Turkey, France, Morocco, Thailand, China, Peru and other destinations. He especially loved travel with his wife to Spain and France. In his memory friends will be traveling to Spain in the spring, Frank having already done the itinerary for the trip. He was a founding board member of the Bellevue Society of the Arts, and was a respected patron at Chez Francois Restaurant in Vermilion, Ohio where he held his famous 50th fundraising birthday party, with Wolfgang Puck flying in to participate in the preparations.

A devoted and beloved physician, husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend, Frank was predeceased by his parents; sister, Gail; uncle, Leo Tobaygo; grandmother, Mary Tobaygo, grandparents, Josephine Robinson, Charles Robinson; sister, Claire Robinson; and brother, Antonio Robinson.

He is survived by his loving wife, Dr. Mary Jean Wall, whom he married May 22, 1982 in Wilmington, Delaware; and sons, John Brendan Wall Komorowski of Washington, D.C. and Michael Andrew Nelson Komorowski of Bellevue. Robinson siblings, Charles, Peter, Edward, Dana, Chris, Mary, Helen Doordan, Maggie, Bert Proscino, Hannah Woodward, John, Andrew, and Dirk survive; as do many Wall and Robinson nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Frank was a former member of Immaculate Conception Church in Bellevue. Per Frank's wishes, cremation has already taken place, and no calling hours are scheduled. A funeral Mass of Christian burial is scheduled for 11 AM on Saturday, December 13, 2014 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 709 Croghan Street, Fremont, Ohio, friends and family will begin to gather at 9:30 am at the church. Friends and family may gather early at St. Joseph Catholic Church an hour or so before the service to pray for Frank's soul and to celebrate a life of courage, dignity, humanitarianism, love and generosity.

A humble man, Frank requested no flowers. His fellow wine collectors are planning a charity wine auction in the spring, proceeds to go to Johns Hopkins University pancreatic research program c/o Dr. Hruban, contact via tom.black@bancsourceinc.com. Keeping with his spirit of generosity, it was Frank's wish that his non wine collector friends consider donations to St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, 702 Croghan Street, Fremont, OH 43420, North Coast Cancer Foundation, 417 Quarry Lakes Drive, Sandusky, OH 44870, Washington and Jefferson College, 60 S. Lincoln Street, Washington, PA 15301, or the James R. Wall Scholarship Fund, North Allegheny High School, 10375 Perry Highway, Wexford, PA 15090.

The family would like to thank Dr. Brian Murphy of Sandusky, Dr. David Stanbery of Willard, Dr. Philip Price of Columbus Mt. Carmel West Hospital, and Dr. Charles Valone of Fremont for their attentive, expert and empathetic care of Dr. Komorowski. Special thanks for their loving friendship goes to chemo buddy and loyal nurse Sheri Ammaniti of Bellevue, chemo buddy Janet Allen of Huron, the staff at North Coast Cancer Care, the staff at Chez Francois restaurant, and all who visited Frank during his illness. Finally, the family is especially grateful to the nurses and staff at Mercy Willard Hospital for their compassionate care and courage in making Dr. Frank's last days as dignified and comfortable as humanly possible.

Foos and Foos Funeral Service, 151 Yorkshire Place, Bellevue, is in care of arrangements. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.foosfuneral.com