Barry Lyon Marmorstein

Dr. Barry Lyon Marmorstein, age 82, passed away peacefully in hospice care in Phoenix, Arizona on August 18th, surrounded by his loved ones. He was a beloved doctor, father, grandfather, husband, and brother.

He was born in Miami, Florida in 1941 and grew up on the north side of Chicago as part of a lively extended Jewish family with more than 40 first cousins.

When he was 12 years old, he decided he wanted to be a doctor to emulate his family physician Dr. Goldstein. He wrote to the American Medical Association asking what it would take and from that day forward he followed the plan. He attended University of Illinois Medical school, interned at Cook County Hospital, completed a residency in Iowa City and held a fellowship in Denver, Colorado, before setting up a private practice in Bellevue, Washington as a pulmonary specialist.

Barry was married twice, first to the late Gail Sweeney (neé Spilky) with whom he had two children, Melanie and Aaron, and then to H. Dianne Marmorstein (neé Long).

The day he became a father he decided to make his health a priority and continued to share his philosophy with his patients throughout his life and career. He was a compassionate care giver who dedicated his life to helping his patients and took their calls at all hours even during dinner.

He was ahead of his time in promoting preventative medicine by studying holistic and alternative treatments. At the end of his 40-year career, he was disenchanted with where medicine was heading, so he wrote an in-depth book titled Sole to Soul, about his philosophy of empathetic healthcare.

In an interview about the book he said, "What I love about medicine is the ability to deal with people who are endlessly fascinating with the potential to be useful and helpful."

Barry was a vegetarian, and avid runner. He was known for waking up at dawn to run 10 miles wherever he happened to be. One of his proudest accomplishments was climbing Mt. Rainier.

He loved animals and always dreamt of creating a shelter for them. At the time of his passing, he was caring for several rescue animals including his dear dog Indie who he found wandering in the road near an Indian reservation in New Mexico.

Barry is survived by his wife of almost fifty years, Dianne Marmorstein, his daughter Melanie, son Aaron and daughter in law Julie, his four grandchildren: Ella, Grace, Arya, Wesley, as well as several beloved nephews, nieces and cousins.

Barry will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and all those who were fortunate to know him. He leaves behind a legacy of service and dedication.