Isadore Talesnick
August 26, 1930 -- January 16, 2018
Isadore Talesnick, 87, died Tuesday, January 16, 2018, at his home in San Carlos.
He leaves his wife of 40 years, Josephine Gampon; his daughter, Alissa Talesnick, and her husband, Michael Feeney; his daughter, Liana Sefanov, and her husband, Michael Sefanov; his sister, Nora Kancelbaum; his beloved granddaughters, Ambrocia Talesnick Feeney, Michaela Talesnick Feeney, Cordelia Talesnick Feeney, Anya Sefanov, and Maya Sefanov; and extended family and friends.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, IN, the son of Morris and Esther (Ainismann) Talesnick, he relocated to California in 1961.
In his early years, he helped in his parents’ grocery store. Although he did not know the difference between asparagus and broccoli, he enjoyed searching the cash register for a 1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Head penny after each customer’s purchase. After graduating from Shortridge High School, he studied medicine and graduated with an MD from Indiana University. As a physician in the Air Force, he became a legend as the poor soul who planned and packed to be stationed in Bermuda only to show up and find he was instead going to Iceland. He completed his residency in Psychiatry at Western Psychiatric Institute in Pennsylvania. He met his future wife, Josephine Gampon, after moving to California to work as a staff psychiatrist at Agnews State Hospital, and they married in 1977. After the state hospitals were closed, he worked at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Menlo Park Veterans Administration Hospital. He later worked for Momentum for Mental Health, a private nonprofit provider of outpatient mental health services in Santa Clara County.
A quick wit with a joyful sense of humor and memorable laugh, he was also known for his definitive remarks as an expert witness in cases involving mental health, and for his singular ability to connect with psychotic patients who may have previously been considered untreatable. A grammarian at heart, he could recite all the prepositions in alphabetical order and entertained others by discussing or acting out ambiguous signage.
A man with bright eyes, face perpetually breaking into a grin as he told a story or a joke, he was genuine with everyone he met. A man with a keen sense of curiosity and an earnest interest in getting to know everyone around him--be they his daughters’ friends or a waiter at a restaurant-he loved to laugh and adored spending time with his granddaughters. He will be deeply missed by the many who loved him.
Funeral services were held January 22, 2018 at Peninsula Temple Beth El (PTBE) in San Mateo, with burial at Gan HaZikaron in Skylawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the PTBE Home and Hope Fund and/ or Caring Committee Fund.