Gordon Mahanna, D.D.S., spent his life restoring hope to others.
As a dental oncologist and maxillofacial prosthodontist, he helped patients of all ages regain a sense of purpose, confidence and self-pride, by recreating facial parts for patients who had lost them to cancer, accidents or congenital defects.
Dr. Mahanna died July 19 at age 78.
“He was more than just a doctor. He was the best doctor I’ve ever known and became a dear friend too,” said Jason Schoo, a head and neck cancer survivor who was first treated by Dr. Mahanna in 1995. “He built my first oral appliance. When he gave it to me, he could tell I was down and depressed. So, he put the appliance on the table and said, ‘Let’s talk.’ He took my hand and we prayed and talked for about two hours. It changed my whole outlook. He instilled the spiritual side of medicine in me.”
Dr. Mahanna kept handy a photo album of his clinic’s successes with dramatic before and after shots of restored noses, eyes, teeth, even faces. “We take these things for granted,” he once said. “Our goal is to get these patients back into their normal psychosocial behavior as quickly as possible.”
“Gordon improved the quality of peoples’ lives in his own quiet unassuming manner,” said John Niemann of the University of Nebraska Foundation. “He was extremely skillful and did wonderful things for people, and he did it with the utmost humility.”
A native of Norton, Kan., Dr. Mahanna did his undergrad at Kansas State University and received his D.D.S. (with distinction) in 1963 from the University of Missouri at Kansas City.
He owned a general restorative dental practice in Hoxie, Kan., for 22 years. In 1986, at age 48, Dr. Mahanna chose to pursue postgraduate studies in prosthodontics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. After obtaining his certificate in prosthodontics, he enlisted in the maxillofacial prosthetic training program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
In 1989, he joined the faculty at the UNMC College of Dentistry in Lincoln, where he developed a unique practice offering maxillofacial prosthetic services. As the demand for surgical services grew, he relocated his practice to UNMC’s Omaha campus where he founded the service that complements the head and neck oncology practice that exists today.
He retired in 2006 and was named professor emeritus in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.
He is survived by by wife, Nancy; children: Kent (Mari) Mahanna, Thaine Mahanna, Kim (Fred) Mahanna-Bellemere, Todd Neppl, Timothy Setlak, and Theresa Crume (Paul Kelly); many grandchildren and one great grandchild; sister, Joan (Frank) Mosier. Private family services will be held.
Gordon was a great mentor and friend. He will be greatly missed by all.
As I read this article, I was touched by the fact he prayed with the patient mentioned; prayer is powerful, and who do you think designed the human body?
Gordy was a great guy. Very gentle and kind. He was dedicated to his patients.
I always liked working with him. He was a true Rembrandt with all the great prosthetic replacements he made for his patients…and truly dedicated!
Gordy and I began working together shortly after I came back to Omaha in 1991. He truly did become a friend and colleague that could always be leaned on for help. His compassion for the patients and detail to his work will always be remembered. He was a big part of how we worked as a team and patients loved him. He frequently helped us out of a jam, as he could almost always find something that would work for the patients. He will be remembered as a good and caring doctor and I am happy I was privileged to work with him.
Dan Lydiatt
Gordy was not only a great doctor,…he was a true gentleman. He gave me the courtesy of interviewing me for a position to practice with him at UNMC in the spring of 2001. I gladly accepted the opportunity and had the fortune of practicing along side of him for 5 years before his retirement. Although some years had transpired after my formal training, I felt he was a great mentor to me with my daily practice and all of the academic work accomplished thereafter. He had a wonderful sense of humor and the time I spent with him was some of the best years of my practice. Through his own life trials, he really empathized with patients and was so genuine in his efforts to treat them and understand their concerns. He will surely be missed by all of his colleagues and those he mentored.
Tom Salinas
Gordie was the consummate gentleman, thoughtful colleague and masterful technician. His in put was always appreciated at our tumor conferences and his work with patients was often life changing. I am very fortunate to have had the chance to work with Dr. Mahanna and continue to carry many of his teachings with me in my daily practice.