Ali Azima

He graduated from the University of Tehran School of Medicine in 1961, did a post graduate program in forensic medicine, and worked as a hospitalist at Mehr Hospital in Tehran. He came to the United States for postgraduate training in 1968. He served an internship at Wheeling Hospital in West Virginia and then did a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Lutheran Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He worked two years as an ob/gyn hospitalist at Peninsula General Hospital in Salisbury, Md. He then did a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal medicine (a new field at that time) at the College of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark New Jersey.

He and his wife Sally moved to Port Charlotte in 1975 and opened an ob/gyn practice adding offices in Fort Myers and Venice later. He served the southwest Florida community for 45 years, and always cared deeply about his patients and tried to provide the best possible care. He always cared more about the person than the money and kept his fees as reasonable as he could and didn’t press too hard for payments if they were late. He enjoyed gardening in his spare time and people frequently commented on the flowers and trees in his yard.

He is survived by his two daughters Nancy Curtiss (Todd) of Issaquah Washington and Susan Berthold (Chris) of Lehigh Acres, granddaughters Arianna and Dakota Berthold, ex-wife and friend Sally Azima, sisters Pari of The Netherlands and Mahin of Singer Island, Florida, brother Hassan of Iran and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son Thomas Reza, and brothers Ali Gholi and Abbas.

There is no viewing. A committal service will be held at Restlawn Memorial Gardens on Forrest Nelson Boulevard in Port Charlotte at 2pm on Friday, March 31. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.kayspongerpc.com for the Azima family.