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Dr. Marvin H. Meisner

Meisner

Cardiologist Dr. Marvin H. Meisner, co-founder of Blair Medical Associates and the first board-certified cardiologist in Blair County, died at his home Friday, June 4, 2021. He was president of Blair Medical Associates for 30 years, during which time its membership grew to 50 multi-specialty physicians. He graduated from the Ohio State University, summa cum laude, and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa honorary fraternity.

Dr. Meisner served as a combat battalion surgeon with the 1st Air Cavalry during the Vietnam War.

During the 1970s, Dr. Meisner helped develop a family practice program, a cardiac arrest team and the Progressive Care Unit for recovering heart patients. He was Medical Director of the Cardiology Department and oversaw a critical care nurses training program. He co-founded and helped develop Preferred Health Care, an insurance organization serving employees at Altoona Hospital and Accountable Healthcare Inc., a doctors’ group that was the forerunner of the organization that contracts with insurance companies for the hospital and its doctors.

In the mid-1990s, Dr. Meisner helped start the hospital’s congestive heart clinic as well as helping to launch a variety of cardiac procedures, including stress testing, 24-hour monitoring, echocardiography, invasive monitoring, intra-aorta balloon pump insertion, transluminal heart angioplasty, coronary artery stent insertion and implantable defibrillation. He served for many years on the boards of the hospital and its parent, Central Pennsylvania Health Service Corps, and on several board committees. After his retirement, Dr. Meisner pursued his main hobbies: World of Warcraft, baking (fabulous challah, pizza and various pastries, pies and cakes), gardening and writing. Two of his books were published: “Giant Tomatoes” and “The Tomato Bible” (online) and one is being readied for online publication on organic gardening. He was very involved with his sons and grandsons.

Dr. Meisner is survived by his loving wife of almost 60 years, Judith Sue (Eglin) Meisner; sons, Kevin (Christine) and Jonathan (Alice); his four grandsons: Zachary, Jacob, Samuel and Benjamin; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Bruce and Myrna Eglin, and his nephew, Eric Eglin.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the ADL or the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Services are being held in Cleveland, Ohio, at 2 p.m. today, June 7, 2021. For more information, go to BKBMC.com.