Sanford Burton Krantz MD

Sanford B. Krantz, internationally recognized authority on hematology and erythropoietin and Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., died April 13, 2023, at his home. He was 89.

Born Feb. 6, 1934, in Chicago, after a short stint in high school, he received early entrance to the University of Chicago on a full scholarship, living at home and commuting to classes. He received his bachelor’s degree and medical degree from the University of Chicago. He married Sandra Rae Goldstein on Dec. 28, 1958, in Chicago.

Dr. Krantz began his professional career at the University of Chicago Hospitals, followed by a fellowship with the University of Glascow, Scotland, and two years at the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland. He joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 1970 as an associate professor and chief of the hematology section at the Veterans Administration Hospital. He devoted the last 33 years of his career as Chief of Hematology at the Veterans Administration Medical Center and 24 years as Director of the Hematology Section at Vanderbilt, for which the university has been internationally recognized.

Dr. Krantz has more than 200 publications, been a member of many professional societies and received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. He has been recognized by election into The American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians and was presented in 1998 with the Founders Medical Award by the Southern Society of Clinical Investigation.

After growing up in an apartment on Chicago’s north side, he embraced an opportunity to grow vegetables, plant fruit trees and tend roses on an acre in West Nashville. He canoed the Boundary Waters in Minnesota with college friends and the Buffalo River with his sons, then his grandsons. He enjoyed a long hot day in the garden, followed by a soft-serve chocolate ice cream cone.

He was a longtime supporter of the Nashville arts and other organizations, including the Nashville Symphony, the Frist Museum, National Public Radio station WPLN, the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville and Friends of Radnor Lake.

He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sandra Rae Krantz, of Nashville; his daughter Sarah Krantz Derks (Thomas J. Teller) of Overland Park, KS; his sons Michael D. Krantz (Diana) of Richardson, TX; and Alan T. Krantz of Nashville; his sister Corinne Plotkin (Bernie) of Milwaukee; two grandsons and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter Marcy Sharon Krantz Glisczinski.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Sanford B. and Sandra R. Krantz College Scholarship Fund at the University of Chicago. Mail to: Gift Administration and Business Data, 5235 S. Harper Court, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60615 or visit giving.uchicago.edu.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. (central time), Monday, May 1, at Congregation Micah, 2001 Old Hickory Blvd, Brentwood, TN. To view the service online, visit https://www.congregationmicah.org/micah-streaming-video.

Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home (615) 327-1111