Hugh W. Burrell

Dr. Hugh W. Burrell, M.D. 1926 - 2017

Age 90. Born October 8, 1926; went to heaven April 10, 2017. Hugh was born to Alfred Ray and Mary Pasmore Burrell and grew up a 4th-generation native of San Francisco. His father was an accomplished artist and his mother a concert violinist. His father’s art is still sold to this day.

Hugh graduated in 1944 from Lowell High School and was on the track team. That fall, he began classes at U.C. Berkeley, but his plans were interrupted by World War II. He was drafted into the Army in January 1945 and ended up being stationed in Hawaii, where he had lived a short time as a boy. He served his country through August 1946. He then returned to Cal Berkeley, where he became a Catholic, then met his future wife, Elissa Wolff, also a San Francisco native and a Catholic. They fell in love and were married in the spring of 1948.

Hugh earned his zoology undergraduate degree at U.C. Berkeley in 1949, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Also, that summer they had a son; then a year later, their second boy. Hugh was attending Stanford Medical School, and graduated as a physician and surgeon in 1954. While in college and medical school, he worked as a professional French horn player with the San Francisco Symphony and Opera House. Hugh then did his internship, and he and Elissa moved with their two boys and new daughter to Modesto for his residency in General Practice (and later he added Family Practice and Geriatric Medicine).

In 1956, the family moved to Sonoma Valley, where shortly after, Hugh opened a practice in Boyes Hot Springs, fulfilling his desire to serve the farming community. Also, while that was happening, they had their third son, and then after two years, their final child, a girl. Later, he opened a practice in Sonoma. During that time, he also served as the Voluntary Medical Director at Hanna Boys Center, providing free home and office calls to the boys for more than 40 years. He also served on the State Inspection Team for Hospitals for the California Medical Association for many years. After that, he was a staff physician for 7 years at the Veterans Home in Yountville, CA.

With 5 children to raise and being a busy physician, Hugh and Elissa’s life together had its ups and downs. They had 2 young toddler boys with kidney disease during medical school and their  travels, and Hugh had treatment for a tumor while starting his practice. They even suddenly lost their son Harold in his prime. But the love between them never faded – a true love story.

In 1999, Hugh and Elissa sold the family home and bought a home in Oakmont. Hugh continued to practice medicine part-time until he was 80.  He particularly enjoyed his locum tenens work, where he traveled all over the United States, including a stint at West Point. During that time, he also had the opportunity to help out at the Sonoma Healthcare Center. In total, Hugh practiced medicine in the area for nearly 50 years.

Besides Elissa, Hugh’s other passions were music, nature, sailing and his faith. Hugh was a lifelong sailor on San Francisco Bay, starting with his cousin, Barry, at the age of 12. He also was an amateur winemaker and at one point had a small vineyard.  He also loved to garden, and their home in Sonoma even had a fruit orchard. Hugh was a patron of the San Francisco Opera for many years, an excellent cook, and a very capable handyman around the house. If he didn’t know how to fix it, he would read about it, and then he fixed it. Hugh and Elissa were members of St. Leo’s Parish in Sonoma and later, Star of the Valley in Oakmont. Hugh and Elissa were married for 65 years until Elissa’s death in 2014. Shortly thereafter, Hugh moved into Oakmont Gardens Assisted Living, where he remained until his passing.

Hugh is survived by his children, Peter Burrell, Sharon Whiting, Paul Burrell, and Joan Wishart, and their spouses. He has 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great-grandson. Hugh Burrell was known by some in the local community as the “gentle giant.” Full of energy, we remember his outsized strength of body, mind, spirit, and gentleness of heart. He shied from accolades and was the master of the understatement. His dry sense of humor uplifted anyone who interacted with him. He loved to be in support of others. He is greatly missed.

To honor Hugh, there will be a Funeral Mass at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 18th, at Star of the Valley Catholic Church, 545 White Oak Drive, Santa Rosa.  Interment will be held for the family at St. Francis Solano Cemetery in Sonoma. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation, 347 Andrieux Street, Sonoma, CA 95476, or online at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/svhf.

Funeral arrangements under the direction of  Duggan's Mission Chapel, Sonoma, CA.

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