Raul Pohorille

Doctor Raul Pohorille , general surgeon, died peacefully Thursday May 17, 2018 with his family by his side. He was 87. He was beloved and respected by his family, friends and colleagues for a life defined by deep intelligence, compassion and integrity. Dr. Pohorille's career was driven by a relentless quest to help all patients, in particular those in need. Dr. Pohorille spent over 20 years working as a physician in the South Bronx at Prospect Hospital.

Dr. Pohorille was born January 17, 1931 in La Paz, Bolivia, the beloved son of Guillermo and Zenobia Pohorille. Dr. Pohorille spent his most of his childhood in Quito, Ecuador. He went to school at Instituto Nacional Mejia in Quito, Ecuador. He married Aida Pohorille on April 20, 1968 in New York, NY and shared 50 years of marriage, compassion and partnership. He graduated from medical school at the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1959 and completed his surgical training at Lincoln Hospital/Albert Einstein Medical College in New York as chief resident in 1967. In 1982, Dr. Pohorille served as the first Hispanic doctor to be elected president to the 3,000-member Bronx County Medical Society. In 1984, he served as president of the Spanish-American Medical and Dental Society of New York. He was also an active member of the New York State Medical Society, where he held various board positions. Over the years, he received many awards for his contributions to the Hispanic community. Of all of his achievements, he was most proud to have been elected President of the student body of his school, Instituto Nacional Mejia in Quito, Ecuador.

Most of all, he adored his wife, Aida and family. In addition to his beloved wife, he leaves his daughters, Cecilia Pohorille McCall and her husband, Greg of New Canaan, CT, and Alicia Pohorille Batchelor and her husband Scott of Atlanta, GA. He is survived by his sister, Frida Freudman of River Forest, IL, four grandchildren, Casey and Lexi McCall and Sophia and Julia Batchelor, as well as his god son, Silfredo Rodriguez, and many nieces and nephews. Raul Pohorille is preceded in death by his parents, son Fabian, and sister, Irma Oppenheimer.

Raul and Aida made family the center of their lives, hosting holidays, birthdays, wedding and civic fundraisers and celebrations, attending special school days, sporting and theatrical events with their grandchildren providing unconditional love to all. Each grandchild treasures the special loving memories of the adventures with balloons, kites, bubbles, lobsters, sand structures and ocean waves at his home in Amagansett, NY.

Family and friends will gather to honor and remember Raul at 1:30 pm on Monday May 21 at Fred Hunter's Funeral Home in Hollywood, Florida. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital (www.stjude.org) or balloons may be sent to the service to be released in celebration of his life.

The family of Raul Pohorille wishes to extend our sincere thanks to the doctors and nurses at Memorial Sloan Kettering (NY), Memorial Regional West Hospital, Memorial Cancer Institute, and Season's Hospice and Palliative Care.