Jose Karam

Dr. Jose Karam M.D. aka Pepe, Papi, Tata, Compadre, Tio, El Arabewas born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico on January 1, 1936. It was said that he was born at midnight, so there was always a double celebration with family and friends, almost every New Years Eve. His parents Pedro Karam and Shaida Karam Kalifa emigrated to Monterrey from Beirut, Lebanon in the 1920s, which eventually led them on a path to McAllen, Texas. He also lived in Reynosa for a while, with the nearby small town of Falfurrias, being the primary family hub for their gatherings. His family were merchants by trade and owned the local general store on Main Street in Falfurrias during the glory days of the quaint town. The large extended family gathered there throughout the years. Many of his family members reside in the Valley area and many remain in Mexico. His native language is Arabic, however Spanish became number one, then he mastered English as his third fluent language. Jose was the youngest of six, preceded by his siblings Antonio, Maria, Olga, and Adela, with one remaining sister of 91, Luisa.

At the young age of seven, Jose had a dream to one day become a doctor and help others. He would go on to make that dream a reality, graduating from medical school in 1963 from Universidad de Nuevo Leon, to become an American Board-Certified Pediatrician. He immediately married his fianc of 5 years, Cruz Adriana Muoz Dworak, in Monterrey. The two ventured off to another country to start their new life together in San Antonio, Texas, where Jose began his residency at Robert B. Green Hospital. They started their family right away, with their first child, Laura, born in 1964. He practiced medicine in San Antonio for almost 60 years. As a renowned physician, Jose was highly respected by his colleagues and peers. He had a couple of legendary stories from his residency and time working in the ER, one of which was stitching up a very famous American rock & roll musician following a bar brawl.

At one point Dr. Karam wanted to specialize in Obstetrics, but credits one of his attending physicians who told him what a great pediatrician he would be. That proved to be true, he was one of the best! He loved pediatrics and the children he took care of, and they loved him too. He remembered the names and faces of all of them, throughout the years, for he had an incredible memory. Toward the end of his career, he cared for the grandchildren of patients he cared for as a younger doctor; a testimony to how trusted and loved he was. Jose was a gifted healer, with a passion, who cared for his patients with a lifelong devotion and love.

His first venture into private practice was in 1968. However, the following year he was drafted into the United States Army as a Major during the Vietnam War. He relocated his family, including his first three young children, Laura, Marco, and Jose, to Ft. Irwin, CA, in the middle of the Mojave Desert. That was quite the adventure for the family. He enjoyed sharing some interesting stories from those days. Jose was honorably discharged after two years of service in California and returned to San Antonio, TX. Instead of accepting a career in the Army, he and Crucita chose to plant roots in their chosen home of San Antonio, where he started a new private practice in 1971. Shortly after, they welcomed their youngest daughter, Gabriela.

Through the years, his favorite pastimes included fishing, golf, dancing, listening to all kinds of music, dominoes, poker, watching sports (except when the Cowboys lost), cooking, and grilling. Apart from his grill master skills, with his delicious steak and fajitas, his specialties included his famous fresh green salsa, mexican rice, special salad, and refried beans. They each had a special secret touch. He really enjoyed standing around the dinner table, with tongs in hand, serving his family and guests, their specially prepared piece of meat. He made these delicious meals a tradition that his family looked forward to every Sunday for many memorable years. Jose balanced his life well, between work, play and family events. He was very involved with his childrens activities, including school festivals, dance recitals, musical performances, traveling and made the time to get involved coaching his sons baseball teams.

Pepe had a plethora of regularly scheduled programming that became a part of his routine, as he transitioned from his favorite outdoor pass times. He was a huge fan of Sabado Gigante. Don Francisco dominated the Karam household for hours every Saturday but brought Jose years of laughter and entertainment. For him it was a sad and quiet time when it was taken off the air. Oldies but Goodies he enjoyed were Marcus Welby, Columbo, Lawrence Welk, Kojak, Johnny Carson, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Hee Haw, Benny Hill, The Carol Burnet Show, and M*A*S*H, just to name a few. Later on in life, after a long day of work, he enjoyed relaxing at home with a drink, watching his favorite regulars starting with the Wheel of Fortune, then Americas Got Talent, and a variety of crime shows and sitcoms. He never missed an episode of Touched by an Angel, which always brought him to tears. He loved watching movies, old and new; and really enjoyed movie trivia challenges. Toward the end of his life, he pretty much stuck to the old classic westerns, such as Tales of Wells Fargo, The Lawman, The Virginian and Bat Masterson, but never gave up Wheel of Fortune. Also, he enjoyed his scratch off Lotto tickets, until the very end. Of course, he would always give his winnings away. Jose embraced the sacred in the ordinary and appreciated the simple things in life.

Pepe was a very disciplined, hardworking and generous man. He inspired his children and grandchildren to dream big and follow their own passions. He was the life of the party and loved to sing along with mariachis accompanied by his wife, Crucita, at times. He was also known for his jokes and stories that would captivate everyone in the room. At times, he had no filter! He had the gift of making people laugh.

Jose never missed a day of work, except for annual vacations, which were always two-week adventurous road trips throughout some of the most beautiful lands of Mexico. He insisted on driving every time, for he did not like airplanes. So off he would go, head of the wheel of a Good Times van full. Being that he was such a safety nut, no one ever understood how he could fearlessly drive through such a treacherous mountain road as that of Espinazo del Diablo. In his house, there were no firecrackers "allowed" and a swimming pool was never an option.

Dr. Karam never wanted to retire. He wanted to continue working until the end with the same enthusiasm with which he began. He transitioned into part time, then gradually to two days a week. He was very content, independent and active. Reluctantly, he had to take a leave from work in March of 2020, however he still had the hope of getting back to work as soon as possible. He was 84 at the time. Jose was a man of rigid routines and a creature of habit, so he managed to keep himself busy and entertained. His health slowly declined and his wish was to remain in his home.

The most profound joy of his life were his grandchildren Alexandra, Adriana, Julieta, Mack, Mark, Sofia and Aiden and one of the many blessings he received during this time, was the gift of witnessing the first 16 months of his two beautiful great-granddaughters Leighton and Gabriela. He would literally light up at the sight of them. Jose found his way back to the Lord, as his faith was renewed. He became spiritually healed, as he transformed into the most beautiful version of himself. He was pain free when he peacefully passed away in his sleep exactly where he wanted to be. He was of sound mind. He was walking, talking, joking and smiling up until his last days. He was not going to have it any other way, but he also knew he was not in control. He always said that ones destiny is written by the hand of God and always said that when it is your time its your time. That is the only truth that offered him comfort and peace, after the

passing of his youngest daughter Gabriela, thirteen years ago. He would talk of visions of her daily and now they are reunited in Spirit. Jose Karam lived a good life. He was truly loved and his memory will live on through those whose lives he touched.

A Rosary will be held on Thursday March 24, 2022 at 6:00 PM followed by a Memorial Service at 6:30PM in the Porter Loring Mortuary North Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Judes Childrens Hospital "In Memory of Dr. Jose Karam M.D."