“That was just him,” said Dr. Diana Small, a fellow pediatrician at Children’s Medical Center in Middletown. “He never wanted special treatment.”
Oches, a pediatrician in Middletown for more than four decades, died Thursday at Atrium Medical Center. He was 72.
Small and others who knew Oches described him as a beloved physician who cared for three generations of children in the Middletown area. Small said Oches possessed a personality that put children, even those facing serious medical issues, at ease.
She remembered Oches’ “great laugh” that sometimes echoed down the hall.
“He was calm under pressure,” Small said. “He never raised his voice. He looked and acted like the great American physician.”
Dr. Mark Williams, chief medical officer at Atrium Medical Center, called Oches the “epitome of what a physician should be.”
Small said it was “an honor and privilege” to know and work with Oches.
Oches is survived by his wife of 49 years, Martha; three adult children and five grandchildren.
Martha Oches said her husband, who was born in Lakewood, Ohio, spent two years with the U.S. Public Health Service in Baltimore. He then joined the Children’s Medical Center and returned to Ohio.
And he never left.
“We thought Middletown was wonderful and we still do,” said Martha Oches, who, like her husband, was active in the community.
By remaining at the same office for 41 years, Martha Oches said her husband, and his name, were instantly recognized.
“Everywhere I went,” she said, “people told me how much they all loved him. I heard that all the time.”
He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease four years ago, and he later had a stem cell transplant.
He was chosen by his peers for Atrium’s first Physician Hero Award in 2007. He and his wife served as co-chairmen for the Atrium Medical Center Foundation’s Healthy Kids Campaign in 2008, which raised more than $300,000 for the Maternal Child Health Center
Mike Stautberg, executive director of the foundation, said Dr. Oches was “a dedicated, humble leader you could count on.”
He served for many years with the Salvation Army Board, past president of the Middletown Hospital medical staff, and the Middletown Kiwanis Club, where he was twice president, and had just received the Hixon Award for lifetime achievement.
A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Oct. 9 at the Breitenbach-McCoy-Leffler Funeral Home, officiated by Pastor Dean Penrod. The family will receive friends immediately following the memorial service.
Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.
About the Author
