Dr. Stephanie Matuszak

1958 - 2021

(News story) Dr. Stephanie Matuszak, a physician at McLaren St. Luke's Hospital whose easy laugh and compassionate nature endeared her to patients and co-workers alike, died June 21. She was 62.

The cause of death was not known.

Born Nov. 7, 1958, to Wilbur and Evelyn Artner, Dr. Matuszak grew up in Tiffin, where her father became an executive for National Machinery.

She was an honor student at Tiffin Columbian High School, after which she attended Middlebury (Vt.) College, studied medicine in Munich for two years, and came back to Ohio to attend medical school at the University of Cincinnati.

After graduating from Cincinnati in 1987, Dr. Matuszak began her career as a family physician in Sylvania, and also worked at Tiffin Mercy Hospital and taught at Heidelberg University.

Most recently, Dr. Matuszak worked as the medical director for occupational health services at St. Luke's. She was a key part of the hospital's response to the coronavirus pandemic during the early months of it in 2020.

At all stops, she was most renowned as a generous caretaker.

McLaren St. Luke's workman's compensation coordinator Lynn Nickell recalled Dr. Matuszak forming instant connections with patients that put them at ease during their hospital stays.

"They trusted her with everything," Mrs. Nickell said. "Not one person ever said anything bad about her. She just made them feel comfortable and at ease, and they'd hug her when they left, some of them just because she cared so much and she would go out of her way to make sure they got what they needed."

During "St. Luke's Salute," in which the hospital recognized its employees on social media during the pandemic, a co-worker highlighted the efforts of Dr. Matuszak, who was serving long hours on the hospital incident command, effectively the front lines against battling the virus.

While medical personnel cared for sick patients, Dr. Matuszak looked out for the well-being of medical personnel.

"Her daily research and knowledge on this ever-changing situation provided sound advice to the St. Luke's team," a co-worker wrote in a Facebook post promoted by St. Luke's. "Her foresight helped us to stay ahead of the curve and her unwavering decisions on employee health helped St. Luke's achieve some of the lowest rates of healthcare worker transmission in our area."

Mrs. Nickell said Dr. Matuszak was particularly skilled at taking complex medical knowledge and explaining it to patients in a way that was easy to understand, which was part of the way that showed patients that she cared about their well-being.

"She blew my mind with how smart she was, and she was just very, very compassionate," Mrs. Nickell said. "She very much cared about her patients and wanted them to have the best care possible."

Dr. Matuszak was preceded in death by her parents.

She is survived by her husband, Thomas; two sons, Bennett Bishop and Mason Matuszak; and her brother, Steven Artner.

A celebration of life for Dr. Matuszak will be held on July 10 at Walker Funeral Home in Toledo. Visitation will begin at 11 a.m. with the service to follow at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers or charitable donations of any kind, Dr. Matuszak asked people to simply tell their local healthcare providers, military veterans, and first responders "Thank you."

"They deserve that, and more," she was quoted as saying.