Richard Gregg Dedo

Dr. Richard Gregg Dedo died quietly on December 20, 2021, one month shy of his 87th birthday.

Dick was born in 1935 to teacher Dorothy and engineer Homer. His childhood was spent in Birmingham, Michigan and Merced, California. He attended the University of Kansas, where he was in the ROTC. Upon graduation, his military training led to active duty in the Air Force, where he flew as a navigator, primarily in the F-101B “Voodoo” jet fighter. Later, as a reservist in the Army, he was called to active duty during Desert Storm, finally retiring from the Armed Forces at the rank of Colonel.

After the Air Force, Dick began a long and impressive career in medicine. It was medicine that truly captured his imagination. He credited Northwestern University for his superior training and remained an active and proud alumnus for the rest of his life. A spinal orthopedic surgeon, he excelled at treating patients, allowing them to move without pain. Dinner-table conversation often revolved around a “tricky case” or how a patient was doing post-op. But his love of medicine did not end with his patients. Dick held several patents and was a tireless tinkerer of ideas, from prepping the skin pre-operatively to reduce infection, to padding joints before applying a cast. His family was as likely to find a plaster mold of a foot drying in the oven as they would dinner.

Ultimately, all of Dick’s hard work was in service to his family, as he took the responsibility of providing for them very seriously. Not knowing any other way, he often sacrificed evening relaxation time to head into his office to “finish up dictation.” He carried his responsibility out wonderfully, raising three children with his wife of 54 years Barbara. A lifelong learner, he prioritized education above all else because “no one can ever take your education away from you.”

Dick met Barbara Isely when he was an intern at Wesley Hospital in Chicago IL. A Medical Technologist just starting her career, Barb put up with his frenetic schedule, not holding it against him when he would fall asleep in her living room before dates even began. They married at Saint Chrysostom’s church, smack in the middle of the 1967 blizzard. They had their first daughter, Kathy, in the Midwest before moving to Jacksonville, Florida for ten years. There, son Scott and daughter Becky were born. In 1980, Dick joined The Orthopaedic Group of San Francisco, and he and Barb called Hillsborough, California home for the next 41 years.

Between work and family, little time was left for hobbies, but he did have a deep interest in antique cars, bluegrass music, and coin collecting. He always had a pen and paper in his shirt pocket for his frequent spontaneous ideas. And Dick always delighted in telling a good joke. Whether it was to family, friends, or colleagues in the hospital, his jokes were usually told over a meal and would often make him laugh as much as his audience.

Richard is survived by wife, Barbara, children, Kathy (Phil Smith,) Scott, and Becky (Bill Pickut), grandchildren Isobel, Luke, Caroline, Jake, and Mary, as well as siblings, Doug Dedo and Dorothy Butler. He was preceded in death by his brother, Herbert Dedo. His intellect, his entertaining stories, and his love for family will be sorely missed.

A memorial service will be planned for later in 2022. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.