Theodore Zukin

Theodore (Ted) Martin Zukin August 3, 1949 - July 5, 2011 Resident of El Cerrito Ted passed away peacefully at home on July 5, 2011 at age 61 after waging a long and courageous battle against a complex immune condition. After almost two months in hospital, he chose to be in the home he loved with the family and friends who loved him. An incredible and selfless husband, father, friend, colleague and physician, Ted left us too soon but with many memories of his compassion, sensitivity, gentle spirit, attention to detail and humility. As a neonatologist with The Permanente Medical Group he cared for the most fragile infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, initially at Kaiser in Oakland and later at Kaiser in Walnut Creek. In the early days at Kaiser Walnut Creek he worked to make parenteral nutrition, mechanical ventilation, and other advanced neonatal therapies available to the babies "east of the Tunnel." His dedication to his profession and the passion with which he cared for each individual newborn and her family was evident to all. Ted was born in Los Angeles, and enjoyed a childhood spent climbing through the fruit trees of his grandmother's Fairfax neighborhood backyard. He attended UCLA as an undergraduate, and completed his medical studies at UC Davis, residency in pediatrics at Kaiser Oakland and fellowship in neonatology at Children's Hospital of San Francisco. At UCLA Ted played the saxophone in the basketball band, allowing him to attend and entertain at many games during the years that John Wooden's teams dominated the NCAA basketball tournament. He was passionate about family, baseball, fishing, music and watching the NCAA finals, rooting for his beloved UCLA Bruins and meticulously documenting every outcome. In spite of many medical challenges through the years, Ted rarely complained and refused to let illness define who he was as a person or a professional. He embraced every day with an unbiased openness. His sense of wonder at nature never diminished and his love for his family was evident to all who knew him. He will be forever missed by his wife Noni, daughter Didi, stepdaughters Leah (Goose) and Taryn (Graham), stepson Kevin, and grandson Alton. A celebration of his life was held at the family home and a private burial took place. A special thanks to Dr. Ted Tsukayama for the competence, compassion and excellent care he provided for Ted over the years. Please direct any memorial contributions to Doctors without Borders in Ted's name.