Our grandfather, Dr. Zia Q. Farooki, “Buddy,” broke the mold when he was born on April 2, 1943, in Lahore, Pakistan, and we were heartbroken on May 20, 2024, when he finally succumbed to IgG deficiency and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Upper Arlington, OH. Hard working and fastidious, the perfectionist studied hard in Pakistan and graduated from King Edward Medical College. He moved to the United States in the 1960’s to start his internship in pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. There, his British accent, and insistence on calling the elevator a “lift” caught the attention of a petite Filipina, Dr. Filomena Quintana Rasay, who happened to be the Chief Resident of Pediatrics. They were married in 1966 and had one child, a daughter, Shella. Our grandfather was one of the first board certified pediatric cardiologists in the United States, a then emerging specialty. He published numerous articles in various medical journals and had a long-decorated career. He loved his craft so much that he voluntarily took night call for one year. He worked at Children’s Hospital of Michigan before moving to Topeka, Kansas for a year to work at Stormont Vail Hospital. After moving back to Detroit, Dr. Farooki worked at St. John’s Hospital. They lived in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan until moving to Dublin, Ohio in 2009 to be closer to family. In semi-retirement, Dr. Farooki worked part time in pediatric cardiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and at Optimed Research. He had a passion for travel and photography, especially nature and bird photography. He spent over a decade with his best friend, Lt. Col. (Ret) Harry Stewart, Jr (Tuskegee Airman) on fun adventures, traipsing through the woods, cameras in hands, chasing elusive owls. They also enjoyed online shopping from their favorite camera store B&H Photo in New York. He was not afraid to jump on a seaplane or a helicopter to film bears in Alaska or waterfalls in his favorite destination, the Hawaiian Islands. They visited most of our National Parks, and cherished taking the entire family to New River Gorge, Yosemite, and Denali. Dr. Farooki did not want to be called “grandfather,” so after his first grandchild was born, he insisted that everyone called him “Buddy.” This became problematic because his oldest grandchild did not realize they were related until she was five years of age. We will remember his loyalty, his dedication to photograph all our games and school events, making us afterschool fruit plates as a snack, recanting his “by the roadside” Lahore stories, but most importantly he taught us to be true to ourselves, to follow our passions, and to live our lives our own way.
We are grateful for the medical and quality of life assistance provided by “adopted son” Rocky Mitolo (Lithic Fitness), Dr. Donald McNeil and Optimed infusion nurses, Dr. Lisa Horn, Dr. Samuel Anderson, Dr. Peter Bachwich, The Coventry Assisted Living in Upper Arlington, Julie Tobias (Nurture by Nutrition), the pulmonary rehabilitation team at Dublin Methodist Hospital, and Capital City Hospice.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Dr. Filomena Farooki, parents (Muhammad and Fatima Farooki), infant sister, and brother Naveed. He is survived by his daughter Dr. Shella Farooki (Dr. James Homsy), granddaughters Alyssa and Sasha Homsy, sister Nasreen (Zahid), brothers Mansoor (Naheed) and Masood (Tehmina), and his later in life Hawaii photography hiking companion and “adopted son,” Dr. Vijay Chandnani. He loved his grand dogs Olivia and Phoebe and grand kitten Bokki, and they will miss playing ball with him. We miss you and love you, Buddy. Have fun flying high with the owls.
As per his wishes, no funeral, memorial service, or donations – instead, go to a National Park, take pictures, and enjoy God’s beauty. To share memories or condolences, please visit www.schoedinger.com. Funeral arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST.
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