Edward Liska

Edward S. Liska, M.D. 93, died of natural causes on January 10, 2010 at home, surrounded by his family. At his request, no service will be held. Ed was born May 15, 1916 in Putnam, CT to Helena and Stanislaus Liszka. He was raised in Adams, MA, worked in the textile mills as a child, and graduated from Columbia University and Tufts Medical School. In 1942 he married Claire Marie Carter. During World War II he served in the United States Navy as a Flight Surgeon for the Marine Corps, and met his lifelong friend and traveling companion, Blaine Baesler. Ed and Claire moved to San Francisco in 1948 and made it their home. Ed completed a residency in adult and child psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, Langley Porter and was Board Certified in psychiatry and neurology in 1953. He had a long and successful private practice in adult and child psychiatry and was one of the few Polish-speaking psychiatrists in the Bay Area. He was an Assistant Clinical Professor in Psychiatry at UCSF Langley Porter and was the Medical Director of Edgewood Children's Center in San Francisco for 35 years. In 1986 he retired from Edgewood at the age of 70 but continued a limited private practice for a few years after that. Together, Ed and Claire provided a warm and loving home for all who entered it. They traveled the world extensively. Ed had endless curiosity. He followed politics and current events, engaged with the world around him and was fascinated by contemporary life. He loved ideas, read profusely and was a connoisseur of a good argument. With a twinkle in his eye, he would offer an opinion, begin a discussion or ask an interesting or provocative question. He was an avid woodworker who made beautiful furniture, inlaid boxes and trivets out of corks that he enjoyed giving away. He always had a project around the house and loved to garden. Only last year, after gardening for four hours straight, did he say that he was starting to feel like an old man. Ed was an acute observer of people, who adored his family and was adored by his family and many friends. He inspired those around him with his enthusiasm for life and was vibrant and active right up to the end, including playing chess and golf with his grandsons. Ed is predeceased by his first son, Robert "Butch" Stanley Liska, his brother, Theodore Liszka and his sister, Phyllis Janket. He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Claire, his children John Edward Liska and Ann Elizabeth Liska, his son-in-law Peter Rockwell and his three grandsons, Thomas, William and Carter Rockwell. In addition, he touched many other lives and will be deeply missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Tufts University School of Medicine Office of Development & Alumni Relations 136 Harrison Avenue Boston, MA 02111