Dr. Mary Jo Fishburne, who maintained a private Towson practice in integrative physical therapy and rehabilitation, died at her Cedarcroft home on June 24 from bile duct cancer. She was 66 years old.
Physician and acupuncturist Dr. Iris L. Davis, a friend and colleague of over 30 years, was treated by Dr. Fishburne.
“Mary Jo’s life was one of compassion and extraordinary competence,” Dr. Davis said. “She understood and knew how to move your body and bring it back to its normal center. She was wonderful and had great abilities as a healer.”
“I met Mary Jo in 1980 when she moved to Philadelphia for medical school. I was open to adopting,” writes longtime close friend Nan Cameron, a nurse and acupuncturist. ,on mail.
“She has always focused on restoring health and balance through optimal movement. Her practice has evolved to include physical, emotional and mental health,” says Cameron. is writing “Mary Jo was respected by her colleagues and loved by her patients. Her expertise will be missed by all of us.”
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“Whenever I was seriously injured, Mary Jo gave me first aid,” said Ann Haddad, a former Baltimore Sun reporter and neighbor. Ann Haddad’s children shared a ride to Dr. Fishburne’s Rowland Park Elementary and Middle School. “She was a very thoughtful and talkative person, with her tall, effortless and confident gait, she was very open to experiencing the world.”
Mary Jo Levolinski was born and raised in Milwaukee, the daughter of John Levolinski Sr., a machinist, and Providence Levolinski, a Social Security Administration employee.
After graduating from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1975, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
She received her medical degree in 1985 from the Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia (formerly Pennsylvania Medical School).
Dr. Fishburne completed both an internship and residency in Rehabilitation Medicine from 1986-1989 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, also in Philadelphia.
Her practice as a physical therapist focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of disorders related to the brain, nerves, bones, and muscles.
She is certified in physical therapy, rehabilitation, acupuncture, functional medicine, and is also certified in zero balancing, a form of touch therapy.
She moved to Baltimore in 1989 and joined the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University, where she remained until she established her own clinic on York Road, Towson.
That health also depends on mental health was fundamental to Dr. Fishburne’s practice.
“She was a thoughtful, intelligent, caring advocate for her patients, friends and family, and made friends everywhere she went,” said her husband of 42 years and future wife, former architecture. House Cyrus “Sai” Fishburne said. In 1979, at a bicycle repair class. Both were students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at the time.
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“Mary Jo was a dedicated and caring doctor. We liked each other because we had eclectic personalities and liked sharing our areas of expertise. Dr. Davis said. “She was extraordinarily spiritual and intuitive and also ran a meditation series. I said you should live, and that joy, exercise and nutrition can change your life.”
“She was observing people in front of her in an interesting way. She was very comforting,” Haddad said. “She listened to her evidence and took a holistic approach. I did.”
Dr. Fishburne did not retire and was still treating patients.
“She believed in and tried to nurture the energy that surrounds us all,” the husband wrote in an email. “This thought was a big part of her.”
According to her husband, Dr. Fishburne was an early riser who enjoyed gardening, cooking, jewelry making and reading. She loved nature and was an avid canoeist.
Graveside services are private.
In addition to her husband, she survives with two daughters, Eleanor Fishburne of Cedarcroft and Madeline Fishburne of Washington. She has two brothers, Bob Levolinski of Phoenix, Arizona and John Levolinski, Jr. of Davenport, Iowa. She has two sisters, Anne Hunelierger from Dallas, Texas and Julie Levolinski from Santa Cruz, California.
