Franklin Horowitz

Franklin Horowitz, M.D., 84, born on January 3, 1930, in New York City, passed away January 29, 2014. He resided in Long Beach, California, at the time of his passing. Arrangements are under the direction of Forest Lawn, Cypress, California.

Frank was a proud New Yorker who enjoyed his adopted home of Long Beach, especially its abundant opportunities to go fishing.
His student days were spent at Stuyvesant High School and NYU (which he attended thanks to winning a state scholarship); he then went to medical school at SUNY Downstate Division.
He did his internship and residency at Beth Israel and Bellevue hospitals in Manhattan. At Beth Israel, he met Estelle Berger, a student nurse. They were married on Dec. 9, 1956, moving up the wedding date so that she could accompany him on his assignment with the U.S. Navy.
The newlyweds had a 2-year-long honeymoon living in Naples, Italy, on the government's dime. They explored from one end of Italy to the other, as well as many places in Europe, and also made their first visit to London, a city they grew to love and one where they spent many happy vacations.
Returning to New York after Frank's Naval service ended, they decided he would have a better career out West, so they packed up the car and drove across country to Los Angeles, where Estelle's cousin Blanche had moved with her husband. After a couple years working at Kaiser on Sunset, the Horowii (as they were collectively known) missed New York, so they drove back. However, within a year they were back in L.A. to stay.
Frank's early career included stints as the "airport doctor" at LAX and in a partnership, during the 6-Day War, with an Egyptian doctor -- an early example of his diplomacy.
He eventually landed at Pacific Hospital of Long Beach. After the fifth trip from West L.A. to Long Beach in one day, they decided life would be easier if they just moved to Long Beach! So they did, buying a house in El Dorado Park Estates where they spent 43 happy years together with their children, Lisa and Dave.
Frank was a well-liked fixture at Pacific, where he spent more than 30 years working, first as a general surgeon and then, after retiring from active practice, running and teaching in the hospital intern program. He also taught student doctors in the hospital's clinic.
In his semi-retirement (he never really fully retired), he also enjoyed fishing and tending his gorgeous rose garden. He and his family traveled to exotic locales such as Alaska, Hawaii and the Baltic Sea (all on cruises), and to Italy and their beloved London. He loved going to the theater and the ballet, although he was prone to walking out of performances if they didn't meet his high standards. And he was a voracious reader, devouring everything from Agatha Christie and John Grisham to anything sci-fi to "Guns, Germs and Steel."
Frank is survived by his wife of 57 years, Estelle, and his children, Lisa and Dave, sons-in-law Keith Andrew Black and Clyde Yoshida, and many loving friends.