Dr. David Ernstoff

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. – Dr. David Ernstoff, 92, of Cayman Way, Coconut Creek, Fla., died on Saturday, April 11, 2009 in Wallingford.

Dr. Ernstoff was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and graduated from New York University and taught physical education for several years. In 1944, he graduated from Middlesex University School of Medicine in Boston, Mass. He served as a captain in the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. Dr. Ernstoff then returned to Brooklyn where he devoted himself to a general medical practice on Montauk Ave. in Brooklyn. He was a strong patient advocate and foresaw the need for centers dedicated to the care of the elderly.

In the 1970s, he completed a residency at the Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine at New York University. He was a chief of physical medicine and rehabilitation and sports medicine at Booth Memorial Hospital in Flushing, N.Y. Dr. Ernstoff had faculty appointments at both NYU and the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. He continued to practice rehabilitation medicine until he was 84. Dr. Ernstoff's other interested included architecture, general contracting and woodworking. He was devoted to his family and was a highly respected practitioner in the art and science of medicine.

He was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Rose Fleischmann Ernstoff; and by three brothers, Joseph, Hyman, and Louis. He leaves behind his loving family, including his sister, Frieda Lilenfeld; his children, Dr. Raina Ernstoff, Dr. Jon Ernstoff, Dr. Marc Ernstoff and Dr. Brian Ernstoff; six grandchildren, Nathaniel, Alexi, Elizabeth, Elisa, Jeremy, Zachary; six step-grandchildren, Saul, Jennifer, Amy, Courtney, Shana, Tad; seven step-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Donations can be made in his loving memory to Hadassah, 127 East Main St., Meriden