Fatbardha Murati

Dr. Murati was born in Korçë, a picturesque city in Albania with a distinguished academic and artistic history, to Dhorkë and Vangjel Kotti on March 26th, 1956. She attended school in the town where she grew up with her beloved mother and siblings. She married the love of her life, Nezir Murati, on June 29th, 1985, in Korçë. She graduated with Honors as an MD from the University of Medicine, Tirana. She worked as a dedicated physician and beloved community member in multiple cities in Albania, where she was renowned for her compassionate care, unwavering commitment to her patients, and contributions to medical advancements for over 30 years. Within the medical field, she was an active member and medical representative in the academic field, where she pioneered the inclusion of crucial medical information into academic curricula as per WHO standards. She was also a volunteer during the Kosovo War and civil war in Albania, where she tended to thousands of women and children. As an active member of the campaign against Breast Cancer in Albania, she proactively contributed to pre-screening examinations.

Outside of her medical career, she was an avid reader, passionate about plants and flowers, and the foundation rock to her daughters' academic achievements and artistic careers. She was a selfless mother, dedicating her life to the happy upbringing of her daughters and granddaughter, and she was a loving and committed wife to her beloved husband. She would spend sleepless nights sewing dancing dresses for her daughter’s recitals or wake up at 3 am to send them off on tour with their dancing group. She would return home from a tiring day at work, put her doctor's bag aside, and change quickly into her beautiful dresses, high heels, and red lips to take her daughters to evening rehearsal. She would never let her husband go to work without seeing him off at the doorstep with a kiss, brushing off his suit, and fixing his tie. She would stand by for every neighbor, knocking on the door in the middle of the night and asking for help or medication to soothe their children’s high fever. She always put the wants and needs of her family and everyone around her above her own. She lived for her granddaughter, Libby. She would get out of bed, sick after chemo, and cook her favorite dish upon request. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and every birthday celebration would mean nothing without her immaculate decorations and thoughtful and generous gifts. She had an impeccable sense of fashion and a love for esthetic beauty, and she would always look so put together no matter what she was going through. And her most precious adornment was her smile – big and bright, encouraging and sweet, always motivating people to do better and helping them feel better. Her energy was hard to miss, the type of energy that would light up a room just by her presence. She touched the lives of so many and was blessed with a rich and vast network of people who respected and loved her deeply.

Dr. Fatbardha is preceded in death by her father, Vangjel Kotti, and her mother, Dhorkë Kotti.

Dr. Fatbardha is survived by her spouse, Nezir Murati, daughters Adela Gernandt and Stela Murati, and granddaughter, Elizabeth Eve Gernandt.

Graveside services will be attended by immediate family members only.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of life scheduled for Sunday, September 8th, from 12-2 PM at Demaine Funeral Home at 5308 Backlick Rd, Springfield, VA, 22151. Please RSVP at +12815058440