Salaheddin Mahallati

Obituary for Salaheddin Mahallati Salaheddin (Sal) Mahallati, 87, of Herndon, Virginia and Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday, November 2, 2019. Sal is survived by his wife of 57 years, Leona (Lee) Hazen Mahallati; children Narges Noelle Topetzes, Sussan (Timothy) Kysela, Darius Mahallati, Ladan (David) Fontaine; and grandchildren Alexa and Julia Topetzes; Sophia and Dylan Kysela; Blake, Faith, and Katya Mahallati; and Keira, Ryan and Ella Fontaine; brothers Mozaffar and Moayed and sisters Rafieh and Niloufar Mahallati, and many nieces, nephews and extended family. He was predeceased in death by his brothers Ezzeddin and Shokouh. Sal was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend to many. He received his M.D. in 1959 from the University of Shiraz Medical School (affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania). Soon after graduating, he came to the United States for an internship at Bayonne Hospital in New Jersey. His plan was to return to Iran afterwards to use his medical education to serve the poor in Iranian villages. As Sal loved to say, he made two resolutions when he came to the United States: (1) not to stay in the United States because he wanted to give back to the needy in Iran, and (2) not to marry an American so it wouldn’t keep him from doing this. Within ten days of arriving in the United Sates, he met his lovely wife, Lee Hazen -- a first-year nursing student -- and all of his plans and promises to himself changed because he met the love of his life. He ended up marrying Lee, becoming a proud American citizen, raising four lovely children and taking care of countless other children through his practice as a well-loved pediatrician. Between 1961 and 1964, Sal had residencies at Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; District of Columbia General Hospital in Washington, D.C.; and Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He also did a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital. Sal was appointed as a Clinical Professor in Georgetown University’s School of Medicine, where he served the University for twenty-six years, and also received the Georgetown University Teaching Award in 1983 and 1984, as well as the Georgetown Vicennial Silver Medal in 1990. Sal had a thriving medical practice in General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine for almost thirty years. Both his patients and their parents loved him for his intelligence, discernment and compassion. He was so well loved that his patients would invite him to their birthday parties – and later their weddings – and he would feel honored to attend. Children looked forward to coming to his office to see his latest “magic” tricks. So, instead of dreading doctor visits, his patients looked forward to being entertained as he talked to the children and their parents while successfully distracting the children. He later carried this sense of lightness and humor to his grandchildren, who he saw on an almost daily basis once he and his wife, Lee, moved to Northern Virginia thirteen years ago. Sal loved God and his family above all else. He stressed the importance of education in both his children and grandchildren, and encouraged all of them in their academic pursuits. In addition to family and his love of medicine, he was an avid skier. He took at least two major ski trips a year with his wife out West, in Europe and other locations and was grateful for the many friendships he made with the Potomac Valley Ski Club, of which he was a member for many years. Funeral services will be held at National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia 22042, at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, followed immediately by a burial and then lunch. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in honor of Sal Mahallati to: 1. The Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org, 225 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60601; or 2. Children’s National Foundation, www.childrensnational.org, 111 Michigan Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20001