Love, family and generations of service: One family’s connection to St. Michael’s Hospital

“Mom and Dad were brilliant role models, in flawless step. They never wavered. Somehow, they managed to love each of us deeply, as though we were an only child,” says Margaret, who is third of the 10 children.

“My dad often did not get home from work until 7 p.m. So, Mom would make dinner for the children. Then, once Dad was home, she prepared a meal for she and Dad. This was a time for collaborating and sharing the details of their day. That communication was key.”

Joe matched Peg’s abilities in love, care, duty and responsibility. A man “ahead of his time,” Margaret says of her father, “Women were equal, treasured and highly-respected. Mom and Dad’s achievements were done in tandem. As children, in an effort to provide respite for Mom, Dad would take a clutch of us down to the hospital on a Saturday, while he did a few tasks. We would follow him through the corridor, single file, like fluffy ducklings, guided by the gold grid-line on the floor.”

“It was very family-oriented,” says Thomas of the culture at St. Michael’s, which his parents helped to build. “There were a huge number of social interactions. We had many parties with the other physicians and their families, and for years on Christmas Eve, we attended a gathering hosted by the Sisters of St. Joseph in their quarters.”

That exposure to the hospital community is part of what led Thomas, the fifth of the 10 kids, to pursue his career in health care.

As an interventional neuroradiologist, Thomas has worked in the Marotta Clinic, a space named in honour of his father’s contributions to neurology and medicine.

“He had a significant influence on me,” Thomas says of his father’s impact on his medical career.

Joe worked until he was 88 after a 65-year career, including a decade working as the chief of medicine at St. Michael’s.

He died in 2016 at age 90.

He had a “captivating sense of humour and endearing warmth,” says his obituary. “Following family, his greatest passion was medicine.”

Peg died in January of 2024, just shy of her 98^th birthday.

“Small but mighty,” says her obituary, “Peg’s ultimate legacy and most cherished accomplishment, when asked, was her family.”

Both Peg and Joe asked for donations to Thomas’ Research in the Department of Interventional Neuroradiology through the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation in lieu of flowers following their deaths, an homage to where their love began, where their children were born, and where their son continues to work.

Reflecting on his deep ties to St. Michael’s, Thomas says, “Mom and Dad’s kinship with St. Michael’s Hospital took root over eight decades ago. They each arrived on the doorstep clear in their desire to serve. They did so with pride, with joy, and a lifetime of fulfillment. St. Michael’s Hospital is and will continue to be ‘bred in the bones’ of our family.” 

By Kaitlin Jingco

Photos courtesy of the Marotta family