G. Karl Ludwig, M. D.

November 26, 1938 -- December 15, 2020

Karl Ludwig, surgeon, marathon runner, world traveler, lover of the arts, ballroom dancer, amateur musician, and optimist, died at 82 on December 15, 2020 of complications of Alzheimer’s Disease, which he had faced with courage and grace for the last decade of his life.

The son of Gilbert Karl Ludwig, Sr. and Isabelle Birney Ludwig, Karl was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. When Karl was eleven, the family moved to Ponca City, Oklahoma, where he made lifelong friends. In 1955 they moved to Houston, Texas, where Karl met his future wife, Ann Kriegel, in Sunday school. They both attended Rice University, where they bonded while dancing and discussing religion. They married after graduation in 1961 and were in their 60th year of marriage when he died.

From an early age, Karl knew he wanted to be a physician. He graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 1965, and he and Ann moved to New York City for his residency in general surgery at Roosevelt Hospital. Surgery was his calling. Raised by an engineer father, Karl said,

“If it doesn’t bleed, I can’t fix it,” and “I can’t stand the sight of grease.” He was board certified in general surgery before entering the U. S. Army in 1971 and serving in Danang, Viet Nam at the 95th Evacuation Hospital.

His second year as a military surgeon, based at Ft. Ord, introduced the couple to Northern California. When Karl joined Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco in 1973, the couple moved to San Francisco’s Russian Hill. While at Kaiser, he was chief of surgery for ten years, president of the medical staff, and chairman of the credentials and privileges committee .

In the mid- 1970s he became an enthusiastic runner and over time completed multiple marathons including Boston, San Francisco ( three times), and Pike’s Peak. He also trekked mountains in Nepal, Peru, and Kenya, and he and Ann regularly hiked the Yosemite High Sierra. He enjoyed introducing his nieces and nephews to California and to medicine as a career, and encouraged and celebrated their accomplishments.

After retirement in 1998, Karl joined a science book group and continued his study of music. He was devoted to the San Francisco Community Music Center, where he studied cello, and served on the Board of Directors for many years. He also volunteered for The Second Opinion, which provides free second opinions to cancer patients, and served on its board. He and Ann continued as subscribers to the San Francisco Opera and Ballet and to several theatres.

Karl is survived by his wife Ann, by his brother, Bruce B. Ludwig ( Jeannine) and nieces, Michele Clem ( Steve) and Katelyn Kriegel, and nephews Bruce B. Ludwig, Jr. M. D. ( Holly), and Peter M. Ludwig, and their children, Joseph Clem, Raymond Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, and Carly Ludwig, and by his brother- in- law, John Kriegel, his godson Nathaniel Paynter ( Teal), a close extended family, and many good friends.

Plans for a memorial will be deferred until restrictions are lifted. Gifts in Karl’s memory may be made to a charity of your choice, to the San Francisco Community Music Center ( sfcmc. org), The Second Opinion ( thesecondopinion. org), or to any food bank. The family thanks his caregivers at Providence Place, especially Yvette Arevalo, and the team from Hospice By the Bay, especially Frances Zhao.