Thomas F. Mehalic

Thomas F. Mehalic, Accomplished Neurosurgeon, Devoted Husband, Inspiring Father and Doting Grandfather, Dies at 84

Thomas Francis Mehalic, M.D. spent his entire life dedicated to the field of neurosurgery, using his highly skilled surgical expertise, tireless work ethic and profound empathy to treat patients with a broad spectrum of neurological conditions, from children with brain tumors to car accident victims with spinal trauma. In fact, after spending 32 years as a practicing neurosurgeon and saving the lives of thousands afflicted with conditions of the brain, spine and nervous system, he continued to demonstrate his passion for the field and its patients by volunteering his time to lecture and perform surgery in Peru, Belize, Chile and Brazil. He died on October 17 with his wife in South Portland. He was 84.

Born on October 4, 1941 in Pittsburgh, PA to Thomas Charles and Mary Mehalic, Tom initially dreamed of becoming a baseball player until his father convinced him to pursue the field of medicine. His impeccable academic record landed him a full scholarship to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, where he graduated magna cum laude with double majors in biology and chemistry in 1963, and a partial scholarship to Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington D.C. where he graduated in 1967. Tom completed a six-year internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, MI in 1973. It was here that he met his future wife of 52 years, Marilyn Boes. A stint as a major in the U.S. Air Force took him (and Marilyn, whom he married in 1973) to Wiesbaden, Germany where he served as a neurosurgeon from 1973 to 1975.

Tom returned to his Pittsburgh roots as a neurosurgeon at Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh (now UPMC Mercy) in 1975. From 1978 to 2005, he was a neurosurgeon, partner and eventual president of Southern Maine Neurosurgical Associates in Portland, Maine. Thanks to a combination of neurosurgical expertise and astute diplomacy that secured respect from doctors, nurses, and administrators alike, he was chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Mercy Hospital (now Northern Light Mercy Hospital) in Portland from 1978 to 1990 and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Maine Medical Center in Portland from 1990 until his retirement in 2005. 

Throughout his accomplished neurosurgical career, Tom received many accolades and honors. He was a member of the Neurosurgical Department of Tufts University in Medford, MA and University of Vermont in Burlington, VT, actively teaching and mentoring neurosurgical residents as well as publishing articles in prominent neurosurgical journals like the Journal of Neurosurery. He lectured and performed neurosurgery, with a focus on minimally invasive micro spinal surgery in the United States, Europe and South America. He was a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons and New England Neurosurgical Society. He was elected to join the Neurosurgical Society of America and was visiting professor and examiner at the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Despite his many professional obligations and rigorous on-call schedule, Tom remained the most devoted husband and father to his two children, Jessica Mehalic and Matthew Mehalic. He was there for every big tennis match and college move-in date—carrying furniture up three flights of stairs without a complaint. He filled his free time with outdoor activities like tennis, golf, sailing, hiking, and skiing as well as weekly games with his friends on the bocce court, complemented by Italian opera. Throughout his retirement, he and Marilyn enjoyed travelling to all seven continents, climbing the Great Wall of China, spotting seals and penguins in Antarctica, mingling with polar bears in the North Pole and taking cooking classes in Thailand. He adored his two grandchildren, Mason and Winston Mehalic, who loved playing UNO! and sharing their baseball card collection with Papi. Throughout his illustrious career, he was always down-to-earth, insisting on cutting his own grass until he was 80 and sidelined by a stroke.

Tom was predeceased by his parents, his stepmother, Olga Mehalic, and his brother, Theodore Mehalic.

He is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.

Tom’s family will be holding a private service.