DR Leonardo Svarzbein

Dr. Leonardo Svarzbein passed away the morning of Tuesday, April 26 2016 at Sierra Medical Center. He was 72. Born and raised in Cordoba, Argentina to Jacobo and Rosa Svarzbein, Dr. Svarzbein proudly called El Paso home for almost 40 years. Dr. Svarzbein graduated from Universidad Nacional de Cordoba and completed his neurosurgical residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. After the terrible blizzard of 1977 on the east coast, Leonardo decided he wanted to start his practice in a warmer climate, looking between Miami, New Orleans, and El Paso. As he was flying into El Paso and viewed the Franklin Mountains, he knew he had found home; a wonderful city where he could be comfortable speaking Spanish and English and experience the best of both Latin America and the United States. After spending a week in El Paso and many hours socializing in Ciudad Juarez, he called his future wife Sylvia from the airport in El Paso and asked for her hand in marriage. A little over 3 months later, they moved together to El Paso. Dr. Svarzbein spent his career working as a neurosurgeon at most hospitals in the El Paso area. The lives he affected and saved are numerous and he was considered one of the best surgeons in the region. Leonardo was a man of many interests and a big, warm heart with a sense of humor that was all his own. He was a classically trained pianist and an avid supporter of the symphony and Pro Musica. Dr. Svarzbein was a philatelist and had a deep love of photography. He was a member of the Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow. Dr. Svarzbein was also a member of the B’nai Zion synagogue. Leonardo was an avid animal lover, a proud pug owner and enthusiast. He counted Waffles, Mili, Hercules, and Woody as some of his favorite companions. He was predeceased by Rosa and Jacobo Svarzbein and Cecilia Camp, his mother-in-law and Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia. He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Svarzbein, sister Elena Konig, sons Peter Svarzbein of El Paso and Jonathan Svarzbein of Los Angeles, niece Mirta and her husband Doni Polotski and their children Racheli and Yaacov of New York and over 40 first cousins spread out from Argentina to Israel to Mexico. A special thank you to Dr. Santoscoy, Dr. Quesada, Dr. Dwayne Aboud, Dr. Turbay and Dr. Kaim and the many nurses and staff who helped with his stay in the hospital.

Funeral Services will be held on Thursday, April 28th at 1:30 PM at the B’nai Zion Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send your donations to B’nai Zion, Chabad, the El Paso Jewish Academy or a charity of your choice.