Madeleine Francis Grumbach

Madeleine Francis Grumbach Madeleine died peacefully at home in San Francisco Jan. 17, 2007, at age 86. She was a devoted mother and spouse, compassionate child psychiatrist, accomplished knitter, and avid bird watcher and musician. She lived a full life. Born in Tuxedo Park, NY, she challenged the traditional constraints imposed on women of her generation by attending college at New York University, working as a teacher in the NYC public schools, and then becoming one of a handful of women in the graduating medical school Class of 1951 at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she met her lifelong partner, Melvin Grumbach. She completed a residency in child psychiatry while giving birth to her first two sons, and went on to work as a psychiatrist at the Children's Aid Society of New York and the Ittelson Center while attending to her growing family of three sons. She moved with her family to San Francisco in 1966, where she joined the child psychiatry staff at Kaiser Permanente and later worked for community-based mental health services. She completed a mid-career child psychiatry fellowship at Children's Hospital of San Francisco, served as president of the Northern California Regional Organization of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and was on the clinical faculty of the UCSF School of Medicine, teaching medical students essential skills in how to communicate with and listen to patients. Madeleine had a lifelong love of music. In later life, she focused her musical talents on playing the harpsichord and recorder. She participated in a baroque music recorder ensemble, and was a member of the board of the Community Music Center. She was a prolific knitter, crafting ornate sweaters for her husband, sons, partners of sons, and grand-children. Photos of her sweaters adorn a neighborhood yarn shop and inspire local knitters. She was an eager bird watcher, trekking the Bay Area with other birding enthusiasts in search of sightings. She was an active member of the SF Quaker Meeting. In all her activities, Madeleine demonstrated an enduring curiosity about life, a keen intellect, and a spirit of reflection and humanism. She will be dearly missed by her husband of 55 years, Melvin; her sons, Ethan, Kevin and Anthony, and their partners, Erik, Lisa and Kate; her grandchildren, Jake, Matt, Aimee, Zoe and Fletcher; and her brother Lawrence H. Butt. Her sons' ability to cook, appreciate music and empathize with others is part of her legacy. Friends and family of Madeleine are invited to a Memorial Service at the Community Music Center, 544 Capp St, San Francisco at 10:30AM, February 4. A Quaker Service will be held at the SF Meeting House at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Madeleine Grumbach Memorial Scholarship Fund, Community Music Center, 544 Capp St, SF CA 94110 www.sfcmc.org/site/