George Waltuch
Aug. 28, 1934-Dec. 12, 2023
Los Altos Hills, California
Dr. George Waltuch, 89, passed away on December 12th, at Stanford Hospital with his beloved family at his bedside.
George, son of Egon and Gertrude Waltuch, was born into a prominent family in Vienna, Austria in 1934. At age 4, several days after Nazi tanks rolled into the city, with help from a grateful patient (and Nazi official) of his father’s medical practice, the family escaped via the Queen Mary to Ellis Island before settling in Forest Hills, Queens, NY. A great lover of his adopted country, George spent much of his youth playing baseball and making egg creams at his afterschool job. He was a lifelong Yankees fan who knew the stats of each player by heart. At Bard College, George was first baseman on the baseball team and the editor of his college newspaper, frequently pulling all-nighters to get the paper out. He was an excellent writer and attributed this skill to his unwitting “teachers”, the sports writers at the New York Times. As a freshman, over a plate of chicken livers, he met his future wife, a lively and lithe student of dance, Anne Bogart, with whom he spent the next 70 years. After medical school and residency at NYU, Anne and George moved to the Bay Area where he finished his training at Stanford and then joined the Menlo Medical Clinic. Breaking his California days, he served a two year stint as a doctor at Andrews Airforce Base in Washington D.C. where he held the rank of captain. In California, he settled into life as a family man, with daughters Lisa, Jeanie, Wendy, and Jody. He coached his kids in softball, attended all of their gymnastics meets, helped with homework, and knew all of their friends. Although he worked long hours, he was always a very present and involved dad.
George was dedicated to his garden and took great pride in his vegetables, especially when it produced a bountiful crop of sweet and multi-colored tomatoes. An avid amateur winemaker, he loved to experiment with different varietals. Eventually, the winemaking stopped, but the purchase and love of wine did not, as evidenced by the large number of bottles left behind in his wine cellar.
As a physician, George was caring, compassionate and dedicated to his patients and colleagues. He didn’t close his practice because, to him, it never felt appropriate. Patients became friends with one another from the long hours spent in his waiting room when he was running late; however, there was no bitterness because they knew that if they needed more time with Dr. Waltuch, he would always give it to them. Similarly, he was a loyal and admired partner; whether negotiating with Stanford to maintain the integrity of the Menlo Clinic or being available for a curbside consult whether at 8 am or midnight.
As a huge fan of Stanford sports, George had season tickets to football games and loved to tailgate with friends. His crew faithfully gathered at Gate 12 for 30+ years. He also sat with a group of guys at Sunken Diamond and kept stats at baseball games like in the old days. He and Anne were loyal basketball fans and had season’s tickets to the men’s and women’s games. An accomplished athlete, George biked with friends in century rides, played in a weekly tennis doubles match, and gracefully carved ski turns. Lured by the great skiing in winter and the hiking in summer, Anne and George spent time at their log cabin in Sun Valley, Idaho. They skied on Mt. Baldy and attended the jazz festival, wine auctions, art festivals, and the Sun Valley Summer Symphony. George loved biking with his grandchildren, coaxing them up the steep East Fork grade and hiking his favorite Baker Lake trail, teaching them the name of every wildflower along the way.
George’s memory was prodigious. He would recall the tiniest details of stories and could talk knowledgeably about an endless number of subjects. He was always interesting, but more importantly, interested. He constantly looked to learn from whomever he encountered. For a guy who wasn’t very tall, he had a very big presence. In a world where it is in short supply, his grace and goodwill will be missed.
George is survived by his wife, Anne, his sister, Elisabeth, his four daughters, Lisa (Jon Zeitlin), Jeanie (David Quigley), Wendy and Jody and 7 grandchildren, Jordan, Bridget, Ginger, Katie (father Craig Vaughan), Theo, Eli, and Noa.
