Nathan Walter Kronenberg

Nathan Walter Kronenberg, M.D. was born and raised in Chicago in the hard years of the great depression. A dedicated student and always attracted to the natural sciences, Nate decided upon a pre-med educational path. His plans were interrupted by World War II, and he served his country as a combat medic in France until he was wounded and taken prisoner in the ferocious battle of Hatten-Rittershoffen (France) in January 1945. He was held as a P.O.W. in Germany until the end of the war. For his sacrifice to the USA he was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart; for his assistance to France, he was recently appointed a Chevalier (Knight) of the National Order of the Legion of Honor by the President of the Republic of France. Nate completed his undergraduate and medical school studies at the University of Illinois in 1951, and an internship at the Long Beach, California V.A. hospital in 1953. He then established a family medical practice and raised a family with Phyllis, his loving wife of 69 years. In 1969 he gave up his successful medical practice in California to enroll in specialty residency training in Psychiatry and Neurology for three years at the University of Washington and Northern State Hospital. Following completion of training and developing a special interest in community mental health, he started a yearlong travel-study of treatment centers in the U.S. and abroad. Upon his return to the Northwest, Nate was hired by the newly established Whatcom County Psychiatric Clinic as a community-oriented psychiatrist. After serving the county for two years, he moved on to start a private practice in Bellingham. During this time, he also built a non-traditional home near the Nooksack River and the Canadian border. In 1995, and after 42 years of Medical and Psychiatric practice, Nate retired to rural Whatcom County, but continued to provide volunteer services at the Interfaith Community Health Center. For six years, Nate provided behavioral-health counseling for low or no income patients on a volunteer basis. He had a passion for environmental conservation, and along with Phyllis and the Whatcom Land Trust, he created a forest preserve of 30 acres adjacent to his home. Nathan is survived by his wife Phyllis, sons Jeffrey and Joel, grand children Zev and Ariel Kronenberg, great-grandson Nathan Charles Kronenberg, cousin Bernie Schatz, his brother, Alan Kronenberg, and extended family members Shira Kronenberg, Robin Holbert, Ellen Kronenberg, and Jason Hamilton. A celebration of life in honor of Nate is planned for summer of 2019; for more information please contact jeffkronenberg@yahoo.com. In lieu of flowers, donations and legacy gifts in Nate's name may be made to: Whatcom Hospice Foundation, Whatcom Land Trust or BrightFocus Foundation.