Obituary for Wade Mountz
Wade Mountz, 95, died Thursday, March 5, 2020. He was born November 19, 1924, on a farm in Winona, Ohio. After his first year at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Air Corps during World War II. He was sent to Oklahoma City for training where he met Betty Gene Wilson of Edmond, Oklahoma. After the war was over, he married his sweetheart, Betty, and returned to Baldwin-Wallace where he completed his B.A. degree in 1948. After obtaining an M.A. in Hospital Administration from the University of Minnesota in 1951, he joined Norton Memorial Infirmary in Louisville, and became Administrator from 1958-69. After the merger that formed Norton-Children's Hospitals in 1969, he served as President until 1981, and then as President and CEO of NKC, Inc. (later renamed Norton Healthcare) until 1988.
Wade gave generously of his time to mentor others, and was an active member and leader of health care professional organizations at local, state, and national levels. He served as President of the Kentucky Hospital Association in 1959-60, and as President of the American Protestant Hospital Association in 1969-70. He was elected Chair of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees in 1975, and Speaker of the AHA House of Delegates in 1976. He also served on the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations from 1976-91. He was a Director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky, Inc. from 1977-80.
Wade had the vision in the 1970’s to found a company jointly owned by the largest non-profit hospitals in the country to compete with for-profit hospital systems, Voluntary Hospitals of America, Inc. (VHA) in Dallas, Texas, serving on the Board of VHA from its founding until 1989, and then President and CEO in 1989-90.
He received many awards for his professional achievements, including the Gold Medal Award of Excellence in Hospital Administration of the American College of Healthcare Executives (1975), and was named to the Public Health Hall of Fame of the University of Kentucky (2007), and the Health Care Hall of Fame of Modern Healthcare magazine (2008). He was also a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
The first person in his family to attend college, he had a lifelong commitment to the improvement of public educational opportunities. He was chair of the Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence from 1987-90. He also served as vice-chair of the Kentucky Board of Education and as a Trustee of Kentucky Wesleyan College from 1978-2000.
Wade was a people person who made friends everywhere he went, and maintained those friendships throughout the many years of his career and retirement. He also considered his family, friends, and faith to be vital parts of his life. With several life-long friends, Wade and Betty co-founded St. Mark United Methodist Church in Louisville in the 1950’s.
Wade and Betty were married for 68 years before her death in 2014. He was also predeceased by his beloved younger sister, Ruth Mountz Prall.
He is survived by sons David J. Mountz of Louisville, Timothy W. Mountz and daughter-in-law Janet Mountz of Arlington, Virginia; four granddaughters, Taylor Anne Ramsey and husband Zach, Christina Lee Donnelly and husband Mike, Lyndsay Mountz and husband Chase Miles, Lauren Mountz; and three great-grandchildren, Blake Christina Ramsey, Heath Taylor Ramsey, and Riley Anne Donnelly.
Visitation will be from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 9, 2020 at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Rd.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 4611 Lowe Rd., followed by internment at Cave Hill Cemetery with all family and friends invited.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Norton Healthcare Foundation in support of the Wade Mountz Heritage Society, P.O. Box 950183, Louisville, KY 40295.
Wade gave generously of his time to mentor others, and was an active member and leader of health care professional organizations at local, state, and national levels. He served as President of the Kentucky Hospital Association in 1959-60, and as President of the American Protestant Hospital Association in 1969-70. He was elected Chair of the American Hospital Association Board of Trustees in 1975, and Speaker of the AHA House of Delegates in 1976. He also served on the Board of Commissioners of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations from 1976-91. He was a Director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kentucky, Inc. from 1977-80.
Wade had the vision in the 1970’s to found a company jointly owned by the largest non-profit hospitals in the country to compete with for-profit hospital systems, Voluntary Hospitals of America, Inc. (VHA) in Dallas, Texas, serving on the Board of VHA from its founding until 1989, and then President and CEO in 1989-90.
He received many awards for his professional achievements, including the Gold Medal Award of Excellence in Hospital Administration of the American College of Healthcare Executives (1975), and was named to the Public Health Hall of Fame of the University of Kentucky (2007), and the Health Care Hall of Fame of Modern Healthcare magazine (2008). He was also a Life Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
The first person in his family to attend college, he had a lifelong commitment to the improvement of public educational opportunities. He was chair of the Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence from 1987-90. He also served as vice-chair of the Kentucky Board of Education and as a Trustee of Kentucky Wesleyan College from 1978-2000.
Wade was a people person who made friends everywhere he went, and maintained those friendships throughout the many years of his career and retirement. He also considered his family, friends, and faith to be vital parts of his life. With several life-long friends, Wade and Betty co-founded St. Mark United Methodist Church in Louisville in the 1950’s.
Wade and Betty were married for 68 years before her death in 2014. He was also predeceased by his beloved younger sister, Ruth Mountz Prall.
He is survived by sons David J. Mountz of Louisville, Timothy W. Mountz and daughter-in-law Janet Mountz of Arlington, Virginia; four granddaughters, Taylor Anne Ramsey and husband Zach, Christina Lee Donnelly and husband Mike, Lyndsay Mountz and husband Chase Miles, Lauren Mountz; and three great-grandchildren, Blake Christina Ramsey, Heath Taylor Ramsey, and Riley Anne Donnelly.
Visitation will be from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 9, 2020 at Highlands Funeral Home, 3331 Taylorsville Rd.
A celebration of his life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mark United Methodist Church, 4611 Lowe Rd., followed by internment at Cave Hill Cemetery with all family and friends invited.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Norton Healthcare Foundation in support of the Wade Mountz Heritage Society, P.O. Box 950183, Louisville, KY 40295.