Dr. Elias Salim Srouji

Dr. Elias Salim Srouji, passed away on October 22, 2015 surrounded by his wife and family 3 weeks short of his sixty fifth wedding anniversary. He was 94 years old. Dr. Srouji was born in Nazareth, Palestine on April 26, 1921 to a loving family full of faith. He was a great man, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather and physician. In 1944 he earned his medical degree from the American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon, after which he returned to his hometown of Nazareth where he practiced medicine until 1967. He was the only pediatrician for the entire Galilee where people called him "The Hakim" or wise man. In August of 1967 he moved his young family to Beirut, Lebanon so that his children would gain a better education. The civil war in Lebanon forced another move, this time in 1976 to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Here, he served as a highly respected teacher and clinician in general pediatrics at the OU Health Sciences Center for over 21 years until his retirement with the rank of Professor of Pediatrics in January of 1998. In retirement he wrote and published Cyclamens from Galilee: Memoirs of a Physician from Nazareth. To this day, Oklahoma physicians who trained under him continue to praise him for his compassion, knowledge and good nature. All will sorely miss him. He leaves behind his wife Arlette Effat, daughter Maria, daughter Sana and her husband Phil Rettig, son Salim and his wife Susan, son Nabil and his wife Penelope; nine grandchildren: Abdallah, Nicholas, Waleed, Farris, Arlette, Reem, Derek, Natalie and Leila, who admirably called him Jiddo, and eight great grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees (UPMRC.com).