Dr. Edward J. Kamin died on December 25, 2022 at his home in Charter House of heart disease and the infirmities of old age at the age of 91. Ed was preceded in death by Martha, his beloved wife of 66 years (2020). On Marta’s gravestone it is written Daughter, Woman, Mother and Saint. He is survived by his children Paul, Thomas, Mary, Mark, Anna, Sarah and Andrew, grandchildren Peter, Olivia, Jacob, Moira, Miles and great-grandson Stone.
Ed was born on Maundy Thursday 2 April 1931 and died on Christmas Day. He was born 10 days after the death of his father (aged 23) from an infected ankle wound. He was raised in Chicago by his devoted mother Margaret and grandparents. He was always tall for his age and excelled in academics and athletics, as a scholar from 8th grade through college. He was recruited to St. Louis University, then the #1 basketball team in the nation. As his athletic career slowed, he earned his doctorate from Loyola University in Chicago with honors as class president, ranking first in his class in clinical years.
Ed served a 20-year career in the Army Medical Corps, 10 of which were spent at Walter Reed Hospital on the internal medicine residency and staff. He helped care for many of the top military and political leaders of the time, including the president. He designed and led the first military coronary care and intensive care units. He extensively studied coronary heart disease in 300 men under the age of 40. He served in senior positions in Europe and Hawaii. Its internal medicine trainees in Hawaii have scored in the top 5% of hundreds of programs in the country, ahead of all military training programs, in
prompting an inquiry by the American Board of Internal Medicine.
In 1975, Ed retired from the military to accept an appointment at the Mayo Clinic and formed a department of internal medicine to provide rapid access to adult patients in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. This required the introduction of an appointment system unique to this division, with same-day appointments always available. An excellent staff was recruited, a number of whom later served in key management positions at the Clinic. Family medicine has been supported in Regional Medicine for years. Clinics in outlying communities were established and staffed by medical consultants. During his mentorship, an annual one-week internal medicine course was introduced that has thrived for 40 years. Mayo faculty meetings held outside Rochester were an important innovation.
Ed had an unusual number of skills outside of medicine. Photography and woodworking were awarded. He covered his home with stone. He installed central air conditioning. He remodeled the kitchen extensively, rearranging 50 cabinets. Martha was indeed a patient woman during these adventures. In retirement, he finally learned to program a VCR.
A joint Mass of Christian Burial for Ed and Marta will be celebrated on Friday, December 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist with Msgr. Gerald A. Mahon is officiating. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Private interment next to Martha will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery with military honors.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dorothy Day Hospitality House. PO Box 6054 Rochester, MN 55903 or online at dorothidairochestermn.org
Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com
