In Memory
Dr. Fred K. Sondheimer
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r. Fred K. Sondheimer passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 29, 2020, at the age of 88, surrounded by his beloved family at home in Berkeley, California. A Jewish refugee from Germany, Fred became a successful radiologist, and was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, baroque music patron, arts enthusiast, world traveler, tennis fan, political junkie, and friend to many. He was born Fritz Klaus Sondheimer in 1932 in Frankfurt, Germany, into a family known as leaders of industry. His father, Nathan Sondheimer, died on a business trip to the United States when Fritz was an infant. Fred’s mother, Dr. Anna Ettlinger, a physician in her native Germany, was able to leave Germany for Holland on the family’s advice in 1934, with Fritz and his older sister Marion. They arrived in New York in 1939, where they eventually were joined by extended family. Fritz Klaus became Fred Kenneth with his naturalization in 1944. Fred graduated from Brandeis University in 1953 and Tufts Medical School in 1957. In 1959, he married San Francisco native Gwen Davis, with whom he had three children: Michele, Joshua, and Marc. After Fred’s residencies in neuroradiology in Europe and Los Angeles, the family settled in Tiburon, where they built a home. Dr. Sondheimer held academic and clinical positions at Mt. Zion hospital in San Francisco and was one of the founding members of the Western Neuroradiological Society, serving as its president in 1972. He later entered private practice, Advanced Radiologic Imaging, with several offices in the East Bay. After losing his home in Berkeley in the 1991 fire, he designed and built a stylish modern home nearby in the Berkeley hills. rragE
In 1999, he married Linda Northrup. The two traveled near and far and were season ticket holders to Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra on whose board Dr. Sondheimer served in the early years. Fred was instrumental in establishing a trust through the generosity of his aunt Susan Levy and the organization subsequently named the Susan B. Levy Violin Chair.
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PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHORALE htebazilE
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