1933 – 2015

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Dr. Jack Morton Matloff passed away peacefully in Los Angeles on Thursday, Aug. 20, at age 82.

He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Martha Bernier Matloff, originally of Mechanic Falls; their children, Lori and Stephen; six grandchildren; and two brothers.

Born in New Haven, Conn., on March 13, 1933, Jack graduated from Yale University in 1954, summa cum laude, and from Tufts Medical School in 1958. He trained at Tufts New England Medical Center and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, where he began his pioneering work in cardiac surgery.

Jack and Martha moved to Los Angeles in 1969, when he was recruited to start and lead a new department of cardiothoracic surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Jack and his team cared for more than 20,000 patients during his almost 30 years leading the department.

In addition, Jack worked tirelessly on behalf of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, where he envisioned a new center for cardiac care. He designed the center, raised the money, recruited the staff and got the center up and running for the benefit of all who live in Israel and throughout the Middle East. His most recent project was an emergency preparedness and disaster relief center that is being named in his honor at Shaare Zedek.

More than anything, Jack loved the time that he, Martha and their family spent in Maine, visiting Martha’s family camp on Lake Thompson in Oxford.They spent many happy days exploring Maine together with Martha’s brother and sister-in-law, Rodney and Janet Bernier of Hebron.