Kirk Joseph Mauro

Longtime Tallahassee physician, Dr. Kirk J. Mauro, 61, passed away peacefully on June 13, 2022, in Miramar Beach, Florida, following post-surgery complications and heart failure. The beloved husband, father, and grandfather was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 2, 1961, to parents Ernest and Patricia Mauro. He received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1988.

During a highly accomplished career, Dr. Mauro was widely respected and renowned as one of the nation’s leading physiatrists – a top medical professional whose specialty is physical medicine and rehabilitation. His expertise and experience placed him in trusted leadership roles throughout a distinguished career in which excellence in caring and treatment for patients was his highest professional priority.

Dr. Mauro was married to the love of his life, Diane Miller, for 34 years – and they met at a special place to both, Falcon Camp, in Carrollton, Ohio, where they both enjoyed working with children. Their love created a family of two wonderful sons, Jason and Jordan.

In 1994, the Mauros moved to Tallahassee, where Dr. Mauro served as Medical Director for HealthSouth. In 1995, he founded Medical Rehabilitation Specialists, which attracted and served patients from Leon, Wakulla, Jackson, Madison, and Taylor counties, as well as Thomasville, Georgia. He was the “go to” doctor for patients needing relief from neuromuscular and musculoskeletal chronic pain, often stemming from various kinds of injuries. When he was honored as the medical MVP by the organization PainCare Holdings in the early 2000s, he was recognized for “…a quick wit that matches his business savvy” and personifying “the very best” in his field.

During his acclaimed career, Dr. Mauro also served in many leadership capacities for various other health and medical institutions. Most recently, he served the people of Florida as Chief Medical Director for the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice since 2016.

Family and friends deeply appreciated Kirk’s passion for always helping other people – surely through his medical expertise but also in any other way someone needed help. He called his avocation for helping people “connecting the dots” – by delighting in putting people together with other people who could provide a service, render assistance, or become a new friend. He was always among the first to remember key calendar dates of family and friends – such as birthdays and anniversaries.

For more than a decade, Dr. Mauro devoted himself to helping develop the concept for a modern-era, state-of-the-art Veterans Lodge, that is still becoming a reality in Defuniak Springs, in Walton County. Unprecedented in its size, scope, and holistic comprehensive approach, the Lodge will treat veterans’ diverse needs for physical and mental health. He worked in active collaboration with the project’s director, Julie Connell Smith, who called his dedicated service on the project “instrumental in creating an honoring and empowering community for veterans.” Veterans Lodge will be a significant part of Dr. Mauro’s professional legacy.

Dr. Mauro was preceded in death by his father, Ernest, and a brother, Neil. He is survived by his wife, Diane; sons Jason (Taylor) and Jordan (Rachel), and grandson, Judah; and mother, Patricia; siblings John, Dean, Nora, Mark, Darren; his father’s wife, Kathy; 10 nieces and nephews, and an army of friends who all loved him dearly.

Services will be private but the family hopes to hold a celebration of Kirk’s life in the near future. The family requests that any considered tributes to Dr. Mauro please take the form of a donation to Deckerscholarshipfunds.org – the non-profit that raises money to send underprivileged children to Falcon Camp, for a wholesome recreational experience.

May Kirk rest in peace, knowing that his large family and circle of friends will always miss him, love him, and remember him.