Wednesday, January 27, 2021
To Anne, Mike, john, and family of Marie Pletsch Breiling:
I am Rodney Lowe—a business partner and friend of Marie since 1970. My wife Rachel and I are greatly saddened by the passing of Marie.
Marie arrived in Santa Cruz a year before me and was very helpful and good to me when I started practice in 1970! She shared her office, and she and Lud gave me a welcome party at Pogonip to introduce me to the medical community.
I spent a lot of days, and sometimes nights, in this county’s operating rooms putting back together many accident victims. In the 1970’s there was no divider on Highway 17; seat belts were just coming out; and glass was not shatter proof.
Marie and I moved our office location four times. From our first small office in Aptos, we moved to 550 Water Street. Out next move was to 3003 Salisbury Lane where we had built an office with a small operating room. There were few out-patient surgery centers at that time. I think there were only two in California. Marie had searched out information needed for this project, and learned of a rare out-patient surgery facility in Nevada. She arranged a visit and Lud flew us there to check it out. She always sought the best information on any project we undertook.
Fred Tomlinson joined us while our office was at the surgery center. Together we extended the facility to eventually include a full set of three operating rooms. It became the Santa Cruz Surgery Center, and eventually was jointly owned and managed by a group of surgeons and Dominican Hospital. We then moved our office to the Cypress Complex at 1669 Dominican Way.
I retired from the office in 1994 to do surgical assisting. Sometimes I assisted Marie, but unfortunately our contacts became less frequent. I will always remember her and am very grateful she has been a significant part of my life.
Marie was a visionary. She came up with the idea of an out-patient surgery center for Santa Cruz and she persevered until she brought it to fruition. At the same time that she was managing this project, she carried on a full plastic surgery practice, supervised her office staff, raised a family and took active part in her church.
My memories of Marie are of an amazing woman who was always in charge of what was going on, and was generous, helpful, creative and tireless. I consider it a special privilege to have worked with her and to call her friend.
May God bless and comfort Anne, John, Mike and all her family and friends!
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