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Dentists retire after 42 years together

Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec / Dr. Rusty Klingner (left) and Dr. David Montrella operated a dental practice in Hollidaysburg together for 42 years. Montrella and Klingner met while in college at the University of Pittsburgh.

Mirror photo by Gary M. Baranec / Dr. Rusty Klingner (left) and Dr. David Montrella operated a dental practice in Hollidaysburg together for 42 years.
Montrella and Klingner met while in college at the University of Pittsburgh.

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County Judge Jolene Kopriva remembers the incident like it happened yesterday.

Twenty-three years ago, her daughter Jennifer, then 3, was on a local playground and was accidentally struck in the face by a little boy swinging a baseball bat. The force knocked Jennifer’s two front teeth loose.

Kopriva immediately called Dr. Rusty Klingner, her family dentist.

“It was in the evening. He was at home. I remember him saying he was drinking coffee and eating lady fingers, (but) he said meet me at the office,” Kopriva recalled. “He met us at the office and took care of her. He has a huge heart, and he was so compassionate.”

Klingner had to pull Jennifer’s two front teeth.

“He was the kindest, most gentle dentist I ever had,” said Kopriva, a patient of Klingner’s since 1978. “It is difficult to be a dentist and be gentle. He had a terrific ability to be make it as painless as possible.”

Klingner and Dr. David Montrella, who operated a dental practice in Hollidaysburg together for 42 years — both have been a dentist for 44 years — announced their retirement last month.

Montrella, a Hollidaysburg native and Klingner, from Hellertown in eastern Pennsylvania, met while in college at the University of Pittsburgh.

“We started having coffee in the morning at dental school, and we have now had almost 50 years of morning coffee together,” Montrella said.

Montrella returned to his hometown in 1973 to open an office on Allegheny Street.

Klingner, after serving two years in the U.S. Army, joined him in 1975. They moved from Allegheny Street to 1633 N. Juniata St. in December 1975.

“We wanted to get down into the trenches and fight decay in Blair County. We had numerous skirmishes that went in both directions. It was tooth and nail in the trenches,” joked the personable Montrella.

The two men are not officially partners.

“We work in the same office, we share the office and the people, but we are two separate practices,” Montrella said.

“We had the same values of how we practiced. We did it on a handshake,” Klingner said.

The two always got along with each other.

“We have the same interests, and we have never had an argument or a disagreement. It was nice to have someone around for questions and answers,” Montrella said.

“Our kids grew up together and played sports together. It was great to have another viewpoint on a procedure or technique,” Klingner said.

They said they have succeeded by having trust in each other.

“We always split the costs,” Montrella said. “We never looked at things as his or mine.”

“We both came from blue collar backgrounds and had the same expectations to make a living for our families,” Klingner said. “We were extremely compatible people with different personalities, but the values and trust were always alike.”

The dentists have seen a large number of patients in their 42 years together.

“I calculated that we probably have seen at least a quarter million people apiece. We’ve had at least a half million people open their mouths,” Klingner said.

Over the years, they have developed close relationships with their patients.

Bob Reeder of Hollidays­burg has been one of Montrella’s patients since the dentist opened the doors.

“Every time you would go into the office, he would make you feel relaxed and made you feel that nothing would go wrong,” Reeder said. “He was very important in the community. He did a lot of things behind the scenes for a lot of organizations and didn’t want publicity. When someone needed something, they got it.”

Blair County Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Joe Hurd has been a Montrella patient for 30 years.

“Whenever I have a check-up with no cavities, he advises me to eat more hard candy. He’s a character, but he’s also a Pitt fan so he has some redeeming value,” Hurd said. “In all sincerity, Dr. Montrella has been an integral part of the Hollidaysburg community and has been generous with his support of many local projects. His wife, Colleen, is a past recipient of our George Award, and she involves her husband — sometimes screaming and kicking — in many important ventures.”

Kathy Mathias knows Montrella well, too. They are neighbors in Hollidaysburg.

“He always put my mind at ease and made me laugh; he is very kind. He is very professional but funny and witty at the same time,” said Mathias, a Montrella patient since 1989.

Nancy Alwine, 85, was one of Klingner’s first patients and saw him for the last time April 20, the day before his retirement.

“Dr. Montrella was our family dentist. One day I went in and a nurse thought I was Dr. Klingner’s patient. He cleaned my teeth, I thought he was an assistant. The rest of my family saw Montrella, and I continued to see Klingner,” Alwine said. “He knew I had an inground pool and would always ask if I had jumped into the pool yet even if it was in December. He was very personable, not just a clinical person. He treated you as a person.”

Anne Hunyady of Duncansville has been a Klingner patient for more than 30 years.

“He is one of the nicest, most compassionate dentists I’ve ever dealt with. He made you feel like part of the family. He was so good to his patients. In 2003, my mother was incapacitated, and he came to the house to take care of her. He was always there when you had a problem. I am really going to miss him,” Hunyady said.

Neither Montrella nor Klingner believe they have a claim to fame. They were just proud to show up for work.

“We haven’t missed 10 days of work over the years,” Montrella said.

Montrella said they hope they are remembered as “fair, honest and caring.”

Both admit they will miss coming to the office every day.

“We’ve had a pulse of what is happening in the community,” Klingner said. “You knew what was going on because of the people coming in. I will miss that.”

“We will miss the interaction. We are used to a schedule. We will have to revamp the schedule,” Montrella said.

Neither have any grandiose plans for retirement.

“I don’t have a bucket list,” Montrella said. “I will watch my grandchildren and cut the grass. I am not planning any trips. I may play some golf.”

“I am a jogger and skier. I will spend more time with my grandchildren,” Klingner said.

Dr. Maria “Mimi” Lopez, has taken over the dental practice, and it is now called Hollidaysburg Family Dental PC.

“I can’t think of a better office than this office to fulfill my dreams,” Lopez said. “I have big shoes to fill. They have been dental icons. They are very well respected. I will do the best I can to fill them. I can’t say enough about them, I respect them so much. They are incredible dentists, and they have a heart that cares. Everyone is going to miss them.”

Montrella and Klingner won’t totally disappear as they will fill in for Lopez when needed.

“We need a place to hang out and have coffee,” Montrella said.

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