Dr. Amir Rafii

Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, but rather openings where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy. - By Anonymous Amir Rafii died peacefully at home with his family on Sunday, May 12, 2013. He was born on March 1, 1929 in Hamedan, Iran, the 1st of five children. He lived in Hamedan until the age of 18, when he moved to Tehran to attend university. He graduated with a degree in Medicine from the University of Tehran in 1954. Dr. Rafii emigrated to the United States in 1956 to complete his medical residency at DC General Hospital (affiliated with George Washington University Hospital) in Washington, DC. By the end of his three-year residency, he had been appointed chief resident. Dr. Rafii then joined the staff of Sibley Memorial Hospital, serving as an anesthesiologist. It was here that he met his wife, Polly Young, a registered dietician, whom he married June 28, 1960. Dr. Rafii became a U.S. citizen in 1964 then moved to Richmond, Virginia, where he became a tenured professor at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). He became a member of the Richmond Academy of Medicine (1964), was a founding member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (1975), and founded the Pain Management Center at MCV (1980). He served on the VA Board of Accupuncture for several years until retirement. During his career, he was also a visiting professor in China and Brazil. He retired as an emeritus professor from MCV in 1997, then spent two years directing the pain fellowship program at the University of Arizona in Phoenix. Following this, he and his wife spent six years in both San Diego and Los Angeles before settling in the Heritage Hunt community in Gainesville, VA in 2005. He enjoyed golf and skiing with his children, reading and studying including quantum physics, and was a member of Congregation Beth Emeth in Herndon, VA. Dr. Rafii is survived by his wife, three sons, Cyrus (Susan) of Boulder, CO, Alexander (Shaheen) of Springfield, VA, and Darius (Heather), also of Springfield, and six grandchildren (Azalee, Spencer, Noah, Tarik, Leah & Jake). Dr. Rafii's friends and family will gather Tuesday, May 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia. We will then proceed together to King David Memorial Gardens for a funeral service at 10;30 a.m. to be held at the graveside. Reception will follow at Polly Rafii's home: 6630 Everbreeze Lane, Gainesville, VA at 1 pm.