Edward Michael Colbach Jr.

Edward Michael Colbach Jr., MD, passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 27, 2025, after a long and distinguished career of psychiatric care and counsel to a wide array of patients, friends, agency officials, decision makers, and the Oregon health care community.

Ed Colbach was born September 14, 1939, into a middle class neighborhood in northwest Chicago. He grew up with a strong interest in baseball, football, and basketball and played them at the sandlot level. The Benedictine Nuns were his excellent teachers in grade school at St. Hillary. Then came the Jesuits at Loyola Academy and Chicago Loyola University. Then on to Northwestern University Medical School, which granted him his M.D. Degree on June 13, 1964. That was also the day that he married medical school classmate Josephine Taraska, M.D.

Ed chose psychiatry as a specialty because he was most interested in talking with people and helping them work through their difficulties. While he was studying at the Menninger School of Psychiatry in Topeka, Kansas, Josephine worked as a civilian doctor at nearby Forbes Air Force Base. Daughter Christine was born during these years.

When Ed finished his psychiatry residency, he was called to active duty in the U.S. Army and was sent to Vietnam. While there, son Michael was born in Topeka. After a year in Da Nang, Ed was assigned to Washington, DC, as the Assistant Psychiatric Consultant to the Army Surgeon General. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his meritorious service.

In 1970, Ed left the Army and the family moved to Portland, Oregon. Josephine worked in Emergency Medicine at Kaiser Permanente. Ed worked as a psychiatrist in a variety of settings, including private practice and at Providence Hospital. As the Director of the Multnomah County Law Enforcement Counseling Program, he co-authored a book in 1976, "Police Social Work."

Ed served a term as President of the Oregon Psychiatric Association and for a decade was an Examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He was a volunteer Professor at Oregon Health Science University for many years.

The family enjoyed many outdoor activities, and Ed especially liked fishing.

Ed is survived by wife Josephine, daughter Christine Colbach and her husband, Briand De Michaelis, physicians in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grandsons Nathan and Noah De Michaelis; son Mike Colbach, a lawyer like his grandfather, and his wife Jennifer, living in both Oregon and Washington, and granddaughter Caroline, and sister Mary Joan Colbach Caycedo and her husband Jorge, in Key Biscayne, Florida.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents Edward M. Colbach, Sr. and Julia Militz Colbach.

Per his last wishes, a private family service will be held with interment at Willamette National Cemetery.

Ed asked that remembrances be sent to a homeless shelter.