MANUCHER NAZARIAN

Manucher "Manny" Nazarian, M.D., passed away after a brief illness Saturday, July 20, 2013, during his 76th year. He was buried on July 23, 2013 alongside family members at Eden Memorial Park, Mission Hills, California. Manny was born in Kermanshah, Iran on March 21, 1937 the day of Persian New Year (Noh Rooz). From a very young age Manny knew that he wanted to be a doctor. With eight siblings, someone was always sick. Recognizing the agony of inadequate healthcare, his passion for medicine grew. He studied in the Jewish and French schooling system, excelling in his education, always at the top of his class. As a young man he excelled at playing the violin and chess. The Nazarians moved to Tehran where he continued his education at the University of Tehran. In 1962, Dr. Nazarian and his family left Iran to pursue his training in surgery in Boston at the Beth Israel Hospital, a Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital. He became one of the most nationally recognized prolific thoracic and cardiovascular surgeons. In 1968, Dr. Nazarian moved to Dallas to specialize his training in Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Following his additional education and training, he moved to Fort Worth in 1971 and began practicing with Dr. Clive Johnson at Harris Methodist Hospital. After one year he became the solo practicing cardiothoracic surgeon in Fort Worth. Some of his many accomplishments included participating in the establishment of three major heart centers in Fort Worth, pioneering the fields of traditional open heart surgery, "Off-Pump" coronary surgery, interventional vascular surgery, and thoracic surgery. Dr. Nazarian was the chief advocate and leader in building the heart surgery center at Harris Methodist Hospital and later extending his program to Baylor All Saints Medical Center. During his career, Dr. Nazarian performed more than 35,000 procedures on more than 28,000 patients. He was selected by the White House to operate on Lyndon B. Johnson prior to his heart attack. Julia Child, gourmet chef, was also one of his patients, and he was in charge of the care of the Shah's wife during the birth of their child. Manny was selected as the 2013 recipient of the Dr. Truman C. Terrell Award at Baylor All Saints for his extraordinary contribution to the lives of his patients in the Tarrant County community. He was an active member of Congregation Ahavath Sholom's and enjoyed playing the piano, working outdoors and watching baseball. In addition to his wife, Lili, Manny is survived by his children, Dr. Michael Nazarian, Dr. Rachel Nazarian, and attorney, Rebekah Nazarian; brothers, Dr. Jamshid, Kamran and Cyrus; sisters, Odette and Dr. Nahid Nazarian; and their families. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of MANUCHER NAZARIAN please visit our Sympathy Store.