Dr. Edward A. "Ed" Barthold Jr.

Edward Arthur Barthold

May 3, 1926 - Mar. 18, 2014

Atherton, California 

Dr. Edward "Ed" A. Barthold, Jr. was born to Irene and Edward A. Barthold, Sr. on May 3, 1926, in San Francisco. After a long and distinguished career, he passed away at his home in Atherton on March 18, 2014 at the age of 87. Ed graduated from Lowell High School in 1944. He then joined the U.S. Navy's V-12 program for future doctors, dentists and engineers and took classes at the University of Southern California (USC). As a freshman at USC, Ed was a starting lineman who played both offense and defense in the 1945 Rose Bowl, with USC defeating Tennessee by a score of 25-0. When World War II ended, Ed returned to the Bay Area and graduated from UC Berkeley (CAL) in 1946. In August 1947, he married his high school sweetheart, Carol Allan. Ed went to medical school at UC San Francisco, where at graduation he received the "Gold Headed Cane," awarded annually to a senior medical student selected by his classmates as "the most representative of a true physician." After medical school, Ed was required to fulfill his military duty, so the Bartholds spent two years in San Luis Obispo, where Ed served in the U.S. Army and their first child, Lynn, was born. The family then returned to the Bay Area to live in Greenbrae, the birthplace of their son, Gary. Ed joined the Menlo Medical Clinic in 1956 and enjoyed a long career as a leader in business and medicine on the San Francisco Peninsula until his retirement in 1990. He served a term as Chief of Staff of the then Palo Alto Stanford Hospital. He was later a member of the clinical department of Stanford University's School of Medicine. Ed was a prime mover in the construction of the new Menlo Medical Clinic facility in 1970 and was the principal organizer of Peninsula Medical Laboratory. Ed was a long-standing member of the Palo Alto Club and the Menlo Circus Club, where his skills on the tennis court and at the dominoes table were widely respected. Ed's allegiance to his undergraduate alma mater and CAL's Golden Bears ended when he moved within miles of the Stanford campus and started to root for the hometown team. Ed and Carol suffered a major loss in July 1968 when their daughter, Lynn, died of cystic fibrosis at the age of 17. Carol died of cancer in January 1985. Ed married Constance "Connie" Ringold in May 1987, and was again blessed with a loving wife, plus Connie's seven children and their families. This new enterprise suited Ed's personality where he reigned as "Big Kahuna" and patriarch of the diverse clan he acquired through "Mergers and Acquisitions" (his term). Ed and Carol's son, Gary, died in 1992. Ed and Connie started new traditions. Ed dressed up as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and caroled through his Atherton neighborhood with family and friends. Ed and Connie both had May birthdays, so they began an annual "Taurus Trip" with three other couples who shared the same birthday month. During their honeymoon to Lake Tahoe in June 1987, Ed and Connie decided to buy a vacation house in Agate Bay. They relished their summers at the home they christened "The Cabin" – entertaining, parasailing, celebrating the 4th of July, relaxing and enjoying life in the mountains. Ed was a man who lived life to the fullest and made the best out of every situation. His motto was "Deny Yourself Nothing." Ed was predeceased by his parents, his first wife, Carol; children Lynn and Gary; stepdaughter Lara Van Dongen (Toine); and his wife, Connie, who passed away on February 12, 2014. He is survived by Connie's brood, including Gordon Ringold (Tanya), Christine Ryland (David), Leslie Stepp (Mark), Jeffrey Ringold, James Stutsman and Holly Sichel (Rodney). He also leaves 11 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Other survivors include Ed's sister-in-law, Betty (Allan) MacRae, nephews Steve, Doug and Jim MacRae, as well as their families; and surrogate daughters Anne Middleton, Patsy Middleton Sevison (Larry), Gail Middleton Tidwell (Steve) and their families. Donations in Ed's memory can be made to The Barthold Fund at the Belmont, CA-based Charles Armstrong School, where Ed was a driving force in the school's founding, a trustee, and a major benefactor; or to the charity of one's choice. A private celebration of life for Ed and Connie is planned.