Dr. Alfredo H. Batto, 92, anesthesiologist who sought perfection in all his pastimes

Aug. 7, 1930 – June 2, 2023

Dr. Alfredo H. Batto aimed for perfection, not only as an anesthesiologist, but also outside his profession.

"He studied everything from every input," his son Richard said.

An expert marksman with a Browning 12-gauge shotgun, he practiced regularly on firing ranges and was so accurate that he often fulfilled the quota of deer for his hunting parties when the other hunters were unsuccessful.

His son recalled that his father once bagged a deer with a single shot through the slats in the floor of a hunting stand as it was walking underneath.

Dr. Batto was equally savvy as a fisherman, his son noted. He always caught more salmon in Lake Ontario and more walleye in Lake Erie than anyone else in his boat.

"Everything he did, he perfected," his daughter-in-law Jeanmarie Batto said. "He practiced and practiced until it was perfect."

An anesthesiologist for many years at Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo, he died June 2 in Erie County Medical Center after a short illness. He was 92.

Born in Bohol, an island province near the center of the archipelago in the Philippines, he completed his medical degree in 1957 at Santo Tomas University in Manila and became a sharpshooter while serving in the Philippines Army Reserve.

He long aspired to live in America and came to Buffalo in 1958 under the Exchange Visitor Program. He began his career here as an intern at Deaconess Hospital.

Dr. Batto worked as an emergency room physician at the former Columbus and Sheehan Memorial hospitals and completed his residency in anesthesiology at E. J. Meyer Memorial Hospital, now Erie County Medical Center.

He met his wife, the former Carol A. Kowalski, through her mother, who worked at ECMC and invited foreign-born medical staff to dinner at her home. They were married in 1960.

Dr. Batto was an anesthesiologist at Mercy Hospital from 1970 to 1994, when he retired. He also worked at the former Ransomville Hospital in Niagara County.

An Orchard Park resident, he took up dancing in 1985 and won many plaques and trophies with his wife, Carol, in Arthur Murray showcases in the U.S. and Canada. Their specialty was the samba. They also delighted friends and family at social gatherings with their tango dancing.

In retirement, he maintained a winter home in Cape Coral, Fla., and tended a nine-acre fruit orchard on nearby Pine Island. He was particularly proud of his mangoes.

"He would tell everybody they had no strings," his daughter-in-law said.

Dr. Batto enjoyed preparing Filipino dishes for his family – his specialties were fresh lumpia, a spring roll, and biko, a sweet sticky rice cake.

A devout Catholic, he prayed the Rosary every day. He was a longtime parishioner at Nativity of Our Lord Church in Orchard Park and attended special events at SS. Peter and Paul Church in Hamburg.

He also was an avid Buffalo Bills and New York Yankees fan.

In addition to his wife of 63 years, survivors include two sons, Alfred and Richard; a sister, Terecita; and four grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial in Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Lackawanna, will be private.

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Reporter

Dale Anderson has been a Buffalo News staff reporter since 1968. He was the chief rock and pop writer for 20 years and helped establish the weekend entertainment magazine Gusto.