Warren Walter Zodrow, M.D.

Resident of Saratoga

Dr. Warren Zodrow passed away peacefully surrounded by family on May 7, 2024 in Saratoga, CA.  Warren was born to Juliana and Anton Zodrow on February 28, 1936 in Milwaukee, WI.  He was an only child but he was surrounded by a large family of aunts, uncles and cousins. He spent summers with many of these cousins fishing at Lake Puckaway. And in winter he would love to skate at the local park when they flooded the field to turn it into a skating rink.  He formed a special bond with one cousin in particular, Buddy Zodrow, who taught him a variety of carpentry skills (all of which came in handy later in life when he built his own deck and wine cellar).

Warren (or "Warrenie" as his mother called him) was always a good student. He was proud to have gone to Blessed Sacrament and Pulaski High School. He went on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study Pharmacy as an undergraduate.  His plan was to stick with Pharmacy, but he had a mentor who encouraged him to consider medical school instead.  Warren took this advice and earned a medical degree from UW-Madison in 1962.  Warren had fond memories of his time at UW-Madison and often shared stories of working in the cafeteria at the Elizabeth Waters Residence Hall. He was kind to the women who ran the kitchen, and they liked him too.  He loved to tell the story that when he had lunch they would give him a piece of meat, cover it with potatoes and another piece on top!  He ate well there.

Warren was a member of ROTC during college and medical school.  Upon finishing medical school, for his internship, he was fortunate to be assigned to Letterman Army Hospital in the Presidio of San Francisco. It was fortunate because it was here that he met his future wife, Mary Conway, at a dance/mixer at Lone Mountain College. Warren couldn't stay in San Francisco as he had to complete his military service, but he had met the love of his life.

Warren completed his military service as an Army flight surgeon in Korea. Warren's affinity for the TV Show MASH probably had its roots in his own MASH experience in Korea. While not in flight or working on base, Warren took advantage of the opportunity to travel around the region. He took "R&R" in Hong Kong and Japan, by jumping on as many military flights he and his buddies could swing .  He has many travel slides documenting his trips. While he was overseas, Warren maintained correspondence with Mary. Upon returning to the US, he took a residency at Charity Hospital in New Orleans and married Mary in August of 1966.  To supplement his residency pay, he would moonlight at a local hospital in Paincourtville, Louisiana.

After further medical training at the University of Washington, Warren and Mary settled down in Saratoga, CA.  This was close to Mary's parents in Burlingame.  Warren accepted a job as an anesthesiologist at Los Gatos Community Hospital and worked there for 32 years.  Many of his closest friends were colleagues from the hospital (nurses, doctors, pharmacists and more) and they spent time going to 49er games, working on construction projects, and eating good food and wine.  He rarely missed a day of work and was dependable, hard-working and compassionate – a favorite among his co-workers and patients.

Warren and Mary started a family while in New Orleans and were blessed with 4 daughters:  Tara, Antoinette, Caroline and Meghan. They built a tradition of camping each summer in Yosemite with Mary's parents, twin sister and her family. Warren was known for often chilling a jug of wine in the Merced river.  Warren and Mary moved into their current home in 1976, when their youngest daughter Meghan was born.  Warren spent many days/years working on the home, most notably building a backyard deck, an attic and a wine cellar. He was rarely idle.

In addition to being quite a handyman, Warren's other main hobby was wine.  He went on wine tours throughout Napa and Sonoma, he hosted wine tasting parties and he scouted out the best wine for the most affordable prices.  He enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner up until the last few days of his life.  Warren had many interests including jazz music (Ella FItzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Al Hirt, and Pete Fountain were a few of his favorites), the food and culture of New Orleans (particularly gumbo, barbeque shrimp, beignets and pecan pie), Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, the 49ers (although the Green Bay Packers were close to his heart), ice cream, Hawaii and Yosemite.  Most of all, he was a family man. He was loving and supportive of and raised his 4 daughters to be strong and independent.  And as he moved into retirement, he was able to devote additional time to his grandchildren.  He showed an extremely "soft" side as a grandfather.

Warren is survived by his beloved wife of 57 years, Mary Zodrow; four daughters: Tara Zodrow, Antoinette (Zodrow) Schreder, Caroline (Zodrow) Walsh, and Meghan Zodrow; six grandchildren: Rose Schreder, Lily Schreder, Buster Schreder, Buddy Schreder, Flannery Walsh, and Darby Walsh; Mary's twin sister, Patricia Putkey of Lincoln, CA; brother-in-law, Joseph Conway and his wife Tish Conway of Bodega Bay, CA; and son-in-law, Seamus Walsh, of Phoenix, AZ.

A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, May 15 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 13716 Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga. Hawaiian shirts welcome! Reception to follow immediately at Sacred Heart Parish Center. Interment to follow at Madronia Cemetery, Saratoga, CA.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Warren's memory to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur: https://snddeneastwest.org/.