Obituary of Stanley Einzig

Stanley Einzig, M.D., Ph.D., of Morgantown, died Thursday, October 27, 2022, at home. Stan loved good cigars and good bourbon. He also loved his work caring for children with congenital heart disease. Stan was born July 25, 1942, in Brooklyn, N.Y., the only child of Louis and Sally Einzig, who had escaped the Nazis in 1938. The family moved to Toledo, Ohio, and then to Los Angeles, where Louis, a tailor, worked for Hollywood costume designer Edith Head. Stan graduated from Fairfax High School and the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received his medical degree under the Berry Plan. He completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric cardiology at the University of Minnesota. He then served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy at Camp Pendleton where he practiced pediatrics. He returned to Minnesota as a medical fellow in cardiovascular physiology and completed a Ph.D. in physiology, specializing in blood flow. He was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. Stan was a pioneer in the use of ultrasound to image the heart, a major breakthrough in diagnosing pediatric heart disease. Many children's heart specialists considered Stan one of the best pediatric echocardiologists in the United States. The late Dr. William Neal, who also trained in Minnesota, recruited Stan to be chief of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology at West Virginia University in 1990. Stan also was vice chair for research for the Department of Pediatrics from 1990-2001. While at WVU Stan helped diagnose and treat thousands of West Virginia children; he loved seeing patients at WVU's outreach clinics in Wheeling, Parkersburg and Beckley. He also trained students, residents and technicians in the art of ultrasound diagnosis of congenital heart disease. He authored several book chapters and hundreds of research papers in prestigious journals. In 2001 Stan joined the staff at the Children's Heart Center at Newark (N.J.) Beth Israel Medical Center, where he was director of the pediatric echocardiography lab. In 2009 he returned to WVU where he continued to practice medicine and train echocardiographers until his retirement in 2021. He was a member of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Morgantown. Uptop, a shared farm in Terra Alta, was also a blessing in his life. Survivors include his wife, Nancy L. Abrams; his children, Debra, Dana and David Einzig, all of Minnesota; stepsons Samuel and Simon Feather, both of Morgantown; and three grandsons, Samuel and Simon Waranch of Dallas and Morgan Berry of St. Paul, Minn. Stan's family thanks the extraordinary medical team at WVU for their years of collaborative work and his own care over many years. Our special gratitude goes to the nurses and staff of the Dialysis Unit at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. To honor Stan's memory, please donate generously to a charity of your choice. Cremation services are being provided by Hastings Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at a later date. Send condolences online at hastingsfuneralhome.com