Lasting Memories

Jack Paul Edelstein
Feb. 12, 1931-Nov. 25, 2016
Palo Alto, California

Dr. Jack Paul Edelstein, age 85, died on Nov. 25 in Palo Alto. He is survived by his wife, Marcia, sons Mark, Scott and Peter, sister Vivian Nelson and six grandchildren.

Jack was born to Irving and Hannah Edelstein on Feb. 12, 1931, in Bayonne, NJ, where he and his younger sister, Vivian, grew up. As a boy, he loved the fact that his birthday, which he shared with Lincoln, was always a school holiday. Jack was a drummer in high school, graduated from Syracuse University and earned his MD at the University of Chicago.

In 1955, Jack married Marcia Cecile Swiren, a graduate of the University of Chicago and daughter of Max and Reba Swiren. Over the next 10 years, during which his three sons were born, the family moved around the country as Jack completed his internship at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, pediatric residency at the Mayo Clinic, a stint as a Captain in the Army and his general psychiatric, child and adolescent psychiatric and psychoanalytic training at The Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. In 1965, the family moved to Palo Alto where Jack established one of the first child psychiatry practices on the Peninsula.

Jack was beloved for his gentleness, kindness, humor and intellectual curiosity. He was a devoted husband, enthusiastic father and a born teacher. He loved science and nature, including stargazing with his homemade telescope. For fifty years, he and Marcia were part of a close-knit group of friends and the Reform Judaism community. Ever a kid at heart, he was known for his jokes. He enjoyed travel, spending time with grandchildren and music, from classical to Sousa marches and Dixieland jazz.

Jack was a fixture in the child psychiatric community, specializing in psychotherapy for children, teens and young adults. For many years he supervised Stanford residents, receiving an Outstanding Teacher Award and rising to the rank of full Clinical Professor of Psychiatry. Through clinical service, teaching and consultation to other mental health professionals, he helped improve the lives of countless youngsters and families.

“Dr. Jack” volunteered at the Alzheimer’s Association. He was a generous blood donor. For years, he served as a reading mentor for grade-school children. One second grader, Elizabeth, wrote: “Dear Dr. Jack, you make me smile if it is rainy or not. Through thick or thin, you are always there to make me happy.”

In his final years, the staff of the Moldaw Memory Unit and Pathways Hospice took loving care of Jack. Even as Alzheimer’s Disease slowly overtook him, his warmth, sweetness and humor shone through.

Donations in Jack’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association: alz.org/norcal