Dr. Fred Madenberg, 76, of Skokie, a World War II veteran and physician for nearly 40 years, died Saturday, March 18, in Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Dr. Madenberg grew up on the Southwest Side, where he was an outstanding student at Manley High School. As a teenager, he was determined to go to college, undaunted by tuition costs that were beyond his family’s means. To pay for school, he worked odd jobs and eventually became an accounting major at Northwestern University. World War II took Dr. Madenberg away from his studies but the Army took notice of his fine mind. After earning the highest grade in his battalion on a military exam, he began training as a physician, said his wife, Yetta. About five years later, in 1949, Dr. Madenberg was assigned to a military base in Fukuoka, Japan, where he spent two years attending to servicemen and their families. He returned to Chicago after his discharge and went into private practice in internal medicine. Dr. Madenberg also was on the staff at Weiss Memorial Hospital and Rush North Shore Medical Center. “He was very patient, considerate, and kind,” said his wife. “When it was your appointment, you were the only person in the room and he concentrated on you. He always returned phone calls.” His wife also remembered that Dr. Madenberg retired from private practice in 1989 but missed medicine, so he worked part time for two HMOs until he became ill about six weeks ago. In addition to his wife, survivors include two daughters, Susan Kleinerman and Amy Lebovits; a brother, Martin; a sister, Harriet Archer; and seven grandchildren. Services have been held.
