Andrew Glenn Israel

1951 - 2020

Andrew Glenn Israel
November 19, 1951 - October 28, 2020
San Diego
Dr. Andrew Glenn Israel (November 19, 1951 - October 28, 2020) was born in Chicago, Illinois to Arnold and Sydelle Israel. His family moved to Beverly Hills, California when he was eight, where he exhibited his breadth of talent by becoming both an Eagle Scout and a Beverly Hills High cheerleader. He went on to Stanford University where he was part of the first graduating class in Human Biology; he graduated in 1972 after only three years. From there, Andy moved to New York where he attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating in 1976. Although he loved many aspects of medicine, he ultimately became a general internist, a specialty where he felt he could most help patients. It was during medical school that he, a Californian living in New York, met his future wife, Sonia Ancoli, a New Yorker living in California, when she came to visit her father who was his patient. The two pursued a 3.5 year long-distance relationship which was rekindled at a Carole King concert. Andy moved to San Diego for his internship and residency at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. He founded Hillcrest Internal Medicine, where he and his partners provided care for countless patients. He was beloved by his patients; it was impossible for Andy to be out and about in San Diego without being stopped by a patient to say hello and sing his praises. Andy was very active at Mercy Hospital. As a Board Member of the Mercy Foundation he was instrumental in fundraising. Andy held many other positions at Mercy including being the long-time chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and a member of the Medical Executive committee for more than a decade. He was an excellent teacher and was voted a Top Doctor by his colleagues every year from 2004 until his retirement in 2013. He was most famous for being an excellent diagnostician, so much so that one of his cases was written up in the "Diagnosis" column of the New York Times Magazine in 2008.Andy was a kind and caring husband, father and grandfather. Sonia and Andy had a loving marriage of 41 years, spending time with their family and traveling the world. He never missed his childrens' games or recitals and instilled important life lessons in them, such as a clean car drives better, and always use the right tool for the job. He was a beloved "Poppa Flash" to his grandchildren, who never missed an opportunity to hold his hand on a walk. He died in San Diego after battling Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA), a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's disease, for eight years. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Sonia Ancoli Israel, two children, Dr. Sarah (Rabbi Jeremy) Gimbel and David (Taylor) Israel, four grandchildren, Ari, Maya, Orli, and Bekin, two sisters, Roxi (Fred) Link and Marti (Jack z'l) Robinson, and countless other family members and friends who will miss him daily. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Andrew G. Israel, MD Memorial Alzheimer's Research Fund, to support Alzheimer's Disease research with Posterior Cortical Atrophy research as a priority, at the UC San Diego Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (https://go.ucsd.edu/34x1zhh).