St. Mary’s General Hospital Mourns the Passing of Tom Motz, Long-time Supporter and Hospital Board Leader
St. Mary’s General Hospital is mourning the loss of Tom Motz, a long-time St. Mary’s leader and immediate Past Chair of the hospital’s Board of Trustees, who passed away Friday, June 12, after a brief stay at St. Mary’s. Flags will be lowered to honour one of St. Mary’s most passionate and generous supporters who for more than 20 years served on the hospital’s Board and Board committees and the Board of St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation. His obituary is available here.
“Tom lived and breathed St. Mary’s and gave his heart and soul to our hospital,” said Scott Smith, Chair of St. Mary’s Board of Trustees. “He was a true gentleman, collaborator and visionary, who strengthened St. Mary’s and the many community organizations he supported with an optimistic spirit, knack for consensus-building and commitment to innovation and quality improvement. St. Mary’s is a better place because of Tom’s many contributions and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Tom lent his time and talents to St. Mary’s Board committees beginning in 1997. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2007 where he helped usher in one of the hospital’s largest expansions in its history, including new space for the Regional Cardiac Care Centre. He served as Vice Chair of the Board from 2015-17 and Chair from 2017-19, championing St. Mary’s quest to be the safest and most effective hospital in Canada, mentoring new Board Trustees and forging ever stronger ties with partner hospitals and community organizations. During his time St. Mary’s became one of Canada’s top cardiac centres, and joined with Grand River Hospital to launch a common health information system.
“Tom’s place in St. Mary’s history and his long service are remarkable,” said Lee Fairclough. St. Mary’s President. “He is the fourth generation of the Motz family to guide and shape St. Mary’s in a volunteer advisor role, upholding the hospital’s mission of compassionate care with dignity and respect. He carried on the Motz family legacy as a leadership donor and served on the St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation Board over the years.”
Tom owned and was involved in a number of industries, including newspaper publishing and precision manufacturing, and was a member of the Golden Triangle Angel Network. In addition to his volunteer work with St. Mary’s, Tom volunteered a significant amount of his time to various organizations within the community, including Mosaic Family Services, Wilfrid Laurier University Board of Governors, KW Art Gallery, St Jerome’s University Catholic Community, Committee for the Carmelite Nuns, Medical Advisory Committee and the Rotary Club of Kitchener-Conestoga.
“We are ever grateful to Tom and his family for their steadfast commitment to St. Mary’s and our community and we will miss him dearly,” said Ms. Fairclough. “While COVID-19 restricts our ability to come together in person at St. Mary’s to honour our wonderful friend Tom, we will do so at a later date.”
Contact: Anne Kelly Manager, Communications 519-749-6578, ext. 1501 or 226-339-1903