Beloved family physician, advocate for the mentally ill and addicted

Dr. Louis Joseph Biscotti died at his home in San Diego on August 24 at the age of 73 after years of failing health.

Dr. Biscotti raised his three children Dina, Bridget and Michael Biscotti in Claremont. From 1980 to 2008 he had a thriving business as a family practice physician specializing in allergy in Montclair, Upland and Rancho Cucamonga. He saw patients at Doctor’s Hospital of Montclair, Upland’s San Antonio Community Hospital and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. He was also an adjunct professor of addiction medicine at Loma Linda University, and served as medical director at Loma Linda Behavioral Medical Center for several years.

He could often be found dining at Walter’s Restaurant and was a member and one-time resident of the Claremont Club. He and his former wife Shirley Biscotti sent their children to Our Lady of the Assumption School, and then on to Claremont High School. They graduated in 1990, 1992 and 1997. 

Golfing, spending weekends in Newport Beach, and driving to Beverly Hills to eat at Madeo, where his father was a fixture in the 1970s and ‘80s, were among Dr. Biscotti’s favorite activities. 

He was born September 21, 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio to Cleveland natives Joseph Biscotti (aka Joe Scott) and Esther Peluso. He was a proud Italian whose roots could be traced to the small fishing village of Peschici in southeastern Italy. His mother and grandparents were factory workers and he was the first in his family to pursue higher education.

He attended Ohio’s University of Toledo and went on to graduate from the University of Chicago in Illinois with a doctorate of osteopathic medicine degree in 1971. He practiced medicine in Chicago until 1973 and then in St. Louis, Missouri until 1980 when he moved his family to Southern California.

Dr. Biscotti never kept it a secret that he suffered from bipolar disorder. He was a familiar face at AA meetings in Claremont and the surrounding area and acted as a mentor to many young people who faced mental illness and addiction issues. This kindness of heart and generosity of spirit was also evident in his medical practice, where he routinely spent time performing pro bono medical procedures when insurance companies denied coverage, his family shared.

In 2014, Dr. Biscotti’s eldest daughter Dina died at the age of 41 after a short battle with uterine cancer. He often said the worst thing that could happen to a person was to lose a child, and he felt the loss of Dina greatly.

Shortly after Dina’s death, Dr. Biscotti mysteriously lost the ability to walk and spent his remaining years in a wheelchair. His son Michael moved him to San Diego in early 2015 and made sure his father was well taken care of until his death.

Dr. Biscotti is survived by his daughter Bridget Biscotti Bradley and her husband (and 1990 Claremont High graduate) Kirk Bradley and grandchildren Keegan, 6, and Grace, 3, of Menlo Park, California; and his son Michael Biscotti and his wife Nicole Moore and his grandson Luke, 1, of Encinitas, California.

As a medical student, Dr. Biscotti was always grateful to those who donated their bodies to science, and he wanted to serve future doctors in this way. His body was donated to the medical school at UC San Diego, which was his daughter Dina’s undergraduate alma mater.

He did not wish for services, but condolences may be sent to his family by email to remembering.lou.biscotti@ gmail.com.