Evelyn D. Witkin | Orthopedic surgeon, 59

Evelyn D. Witkin, 59, of Huntingdon Valley, an orthopedic surgeon, died of a stroke Tuesday, Oct. 5, in Hallandale, Fla., where she was on vacation with her family.

Since 1977, Dr. Witkin had maintained an office in Southampton. She was on the staff of Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook, St. Mary's Hospital in Langhorne, and Aria Health-Frankford, formerly Frankford Hospital. Dr. Witkin was born in Vienna to parents who survived Auschwitz. When she was 3, her family immigrated to Philadelphia, where her father operated a grocery store on Marshall Street.

Dr. Witkin graduated from Northeast High School and was later inducted into its Wall of Fame. She earned bachelor's and medical degrees from Temple University, and completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at Einstein Medical Center and a fellowship in pediatric orthopedics at Shriners Hospital.

Five years ago, Dr. Witkin's photo was featured on the Frankford Orthopedics billboard on I-95. When she was a preteen, her photograph was used for a soap ad, and she was later a fashion model, her husband, Arnold, said.

She was an advocate for her patients, he said, spending hours on the phone trying to get them the best care. They showed their gratitude by bringing her homemade dinners, baked goods, or something crafted with their newly restored hands. She cared for her mother, Edith Davis, at home for the last several years, her husband said.

In addition to her husband of 36 years and mother, Dr. Witkin is survived by daughters Amy and Lisa, both physicians; a sister; and a granddaughter.

A funeral was at Goldsteins' Rosenberg's Raphael Sacks Memorial Chapel in Southampton on Friday, Oct. 8. Burial was in Montefiore Cemetery, Jenkintown.