Dr. Herbert Dedo

Dr. Herbert Dedo passed away peacefully at home on August 5, 2021 – he was 88. He was born in Detroit, MI. He attended the University of California at Berkeley where he played clarinet in the Cal marching band. After medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, his NIH fellowships took him to St. Louis for a year and a half with Dr. Joseph Ogura and to Hamburg, Germany for one year with Professor Erich Dunker. He settled in San Francisco, CA where he was an Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeon for 50 years during which he made significant contributions to the medical community. During his career he developed new surgical techniques, designed modifications to an instrument to look into the larynx (voice box) called the Dedo laryngoscope, authored over 100 peerreviewed research papers in addition to medical books and chapters, lectured at medical conferences around the world, and trained residents, fellows, and medical students at UCSF. He was the first doctor west of the Mississippi to use a laser for surgery of the larynx.

Outside of the hospital he was fascinated by an eclectic set of topics. He had a voracious appetite for reading books, perusing museums for hours, and was captivated by archeology. He played the bagpipes as a member of the Black Raven Pipe Band as well as for special events at Grace Cathedral and the Bohemian Grove where he was a member for 52 years. He enjoyed opera and symphony landing a position as tour doctor for the San Francisco Symphony when they traveled in Japan. He nurtured fresh water and salt water fish and maintained a koi fish pond at his home. He enjoyed skiing at the Sugar Bowl Ski Area and participated on the Doctor’s Ski Patrol.

He is survived by his first wife, Joan (28 years), and his wife of 33 years, Sigrid, his siblings (Dick, Dottie Butler, and Doug), his sons (Doug, Bill, and John) and step sons (Christopher and Stephen Homs), 10 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. A memorial service is planned at Grace Cathedral on Wednesday, October 6 at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to support the Pacific Voice and Speech Foundation (58 West Portal Ave, Suite 229, San Francisco, CA 94127), a California nonprofit organization, which was a key component of his medical practice.