Dr. Irwin Stanley Jaffee, of Washington, died on Nov. 30. Born April 12, 1932, in New York City to Pauline and Harry Jaffee. Sid attended SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, where as a third-year student, he was set up on a blind date with his future wife of 66 years, Gail Rosenberg. With the arrival of baby daughters, the family relocated to the Washington area, where Sid was assigned to Andrews Air Force Base for active duty under the “Berry Plan,” a service plan for young physicians in the wake of the Korean War. Sid then was accepted to the ear, nose, and throat residency program at Washington Hospital Center.
He established a medical practice as an ENT in Silver Spring and welcomed two more children. Sid took on additional posts as director of the training program at Washington Hospital Center and chair of the ENT department at National Children’s Hospital. After 33 years in private practice, Sid was appointed as a consulting physician to the Food and Drug Administration, and he was instrumental in approving the original cochlear implant. He was proud to have visited all 50 U.S. states. In 2017, Sid and Gail moved to a retirement community in Gainesville, Fla.
Sid is survived by his wife, Gail Jaffee; daughter and son-in-law Jamie Jaffee and Richard Dana; daughter and son-in-law Jodi and Bob Gore; son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Michelle Jaffee; and grandchildren, Kacee Gore, Jesse Gore, David Solomon, Clara Jaffee and Tessa Jaffee. He was preceded in death by his daughter Mindy “MJ” Jaffee and his sisters Cynthia Jaffee McCabe and Bernice Braunstein. Donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
