Victor and I were lab partners in Organic Chemistry at Northwestern, and then went on to be classmates at Rush University Med School. I used to tell my husband about how Victor was the only one who actually enjoyed Chemistry lab, and even conducted his own experiments on the side. I was in complete awe of his natural ability to understand and apply science. He was also incredibly kind, just like his family. My youngest son is around the same age as his daughter, and I was absolutely heartbroken to hear that he left behind a wife and two young children. I just wanted to take the time to say goodbye to a dear friend and colleague, and thank him for always making us laugh and smile when I share these memories with my family. I lost touch after moving away and regret not keeping up with old friends. It would have been lovely to have met his wife and kids. My heart goes out to Victor's entire family. He will be greatly missed.

Victor was a dear, dear friend. We overlapped for a couple of years when we worked in Fred Turek's lab at Northwestern University. He assisted with my graduate work and I learnt later than he went on to become a talented doctor. I was always very proud of him and felt like he was a little brother. Even went up to his home one time and we played Table Tennis in his basement. I always thought that his parents must be so lucky to have a son like him who was brilliant, multi-talented with his love of medicine and computers, as well as sweet and caring. 

I heard today for our "lab mom" that he passed away. We were talking about having him over at my home for a get-together. Now I feel terrible that I waited too long... wish I had invited him a few years ago!! Sigh. 

My sincere condolences to his parents, wife and little kids. What a great loss this is for all those who loved him. I'm so so sorry this happened.

I just received a letter about Dr. Tsirline passing away and I just couldn't believe it because it came to me and my family as a shock. This doctor amazed me when he saved my mom through a very rare and dangerous surgery. It was like he gave her another life and his life has just started and now he is gone. My heart goes out to him and his family members. May his soul rest in peace!

I just received a letter about Dr. Tsirline's passing. I'm in shock. I felt like I got to know him so well just as a patient. He was so caring and compassionate. He was also an educator, spoke to you in a way that you can understand. I will miss him. My sympathies to his family whom he cared for very much.

It is January 14, 2014 and I just became aware of Dr. Tsirline's passing and am shocked and so sad.  I was one of his first patients when he came to Lake Forest Hospital and had a very good experience.  I enjoyed our conversations and recommended him to others.  I had the good fortune to interact with his wife as well.  I want to offer my condolences to his family.

It took me over a month to gather courage to write something here.  I was worried that no matter how much I try, anything I write here won't do justice to what a great person Vitya was.  In Russian there is no word for “cousin” we call our cousins “brothers”.  To me Vitya was a real brother and no matter what language I use, this is the best word to describe our relationship.

We grew up together in Moscow, but unfortunately never lived in the same city again after Vitya moved to the States.   Yet I loved seeing him every time I got a chance.  In the retrospect I was so lucky to go to grad school in Chicago.  And of course if it wasn't for Vitya's hospitality I wouldn't be able to, so I am forever in his debt.

For two and a half years I got to see Vitya almost every weekend.  While Vitya was in the middle of residency, extremely busy and always exhausted we tried our best to spend time together, go out or just stay in and talk.  Talk about anything - business, medicine, computers, politics...  He was so smart and interesting to talk to.  Even when we disagreed I felt like I learned a lot and gained a new perspective from our chats.  It was amazing to see how one person could be so knowledgeable on such diverse topics.

But we didn't just talk; we partied as well.  Vitya knew some great places in Chicago and it was always fun to go there with him.  We stayed up till the morning more than once and I have many great memories which I won't write here, but would love to tell Nika and Elli when they grow up :)

Vitya leaves a huge void in the lives of so many people, but he also leaves a ton of warm loving memories.  I am so glad that he had a chance to meet my son Andy.  Their lives only overlapped by two months, but when Andy gets a bit older I will be telling him stories about his uncle Vitya.  I am sure that I won't be the only one telling my kids about Vitya and through stories like that his memory will leave on for a long long time.

I wanted to share with you a few Victor stories...

When we were kids Victor was trying to teach me to play piano and he would mark up all the notes that I had to play. Sadly the marker he would use, wouldn't come off easily. We were experimenting with alcohol trying to remove the marks on the piano... Not sure if our parents figured this out. We never got in trouble. 

He would wash my apples with soap. He didn't want us to eat bacteria. I still don't know how he thought of washing apples with soap. He is the only one who would do that 

My favorite game with him was and we played all the time -  playing house. We would build a house under his desk.  We would steal a lot of food from the kitchen and eat under his desk. We'd build a sleeping place under the desk as well and we would build a fort on top of the desk. We would darken the room and only use flashlight. This was my fondest memory - playing house with Victor.  

With both of our families leaving Moscow we lost contact for a very long time. I don't how but it was Victor who had found me in Germany. And I was forever thankful for having my friend back. 

Here is the photo that my parents had taken of Victor and me on my first day of school. It was September 1st, 1988. I think at the time he was already in the 3rd or 4th grade. We were going to be at the same school and I remember how excited we were about that. Back in the day he was my best friend and my partner in crime.

Victor was like my brother.  Always giving me advice about everything.  He helped me through a difficult time when my daughter was critically ill for so long.  Encouraging me not to give up hope but at the same time being realistic about her chances of survival.  I will always be grateful for his friendship!  He was a great man and he will be missed!

Victor was a very sweet, generous, caring, kind and overall brilliant man. He'll be missed not just by his beautiful family but by all the people he's met and helped through his healing touch.

Vitya, you will forever be in our hearts and minds. We are so glad we got to spend time with you in October. Your quirky, generous and fun-loving spirit made being around you such a pleasure! From our talks I always learned so much; you had a unique perspective and I truly valued your thoughts, opinions and advice. I hope you knew how much we loved and respected you. I will treasure the moments we had together and am going to miss hearing stories of you from Ira - they were so often entertaining.  You dared to do what many would only talk or think about doing (or would never have thought of doing) and I loved it! You saw opportunity where most saw a roadblock; you saw a challenge where others saw a barrier. You were a visionary and a great mind. You were so many things, Vitya, and your memory will live on. Your heart was bigger than any man I know!! You are truly missed, dear friend. Loving, devoted husband to my Irochka, may you rest in peace. Love, Annechka

Victor was a great Conrad, we had a great past working together. We spent hours on top of hours in places all over the world working for the Russian Government. This man was excellent in every way known to life....KGB

I was shocked when I heard about Victor. My prayers go out to Victor's family. He was a wonderful human being and loved what he did.

I want to extend my deepest condolences to you and your family.  This loss is a huge loss - for you and your family, for everyone who knew Victor and for the medical world.  He was a brilliant man, a kind man, a funny man. 
Victor was a truly GOOD man.  It's just not fair that the good ones are taken from us so soon.  Sometimes I like to think there is a bigger plan out there and for our destinies to unfold we need angels to look over us.  
Victor is now an angel or spirit looking over you.  Take my word as I don't believe in heaven or hell, but have lived thru moments when I knew it was my Dad looking over me that a danger was averted (my mom and brother have many stories as well).  
I can promise you this: he will be with you and your children always.  He will look over you and your children and protect you in ways you never imagined.  My mom once told me that in difficult times she would ask for my dad's assistance and somehow brilliant ideas would come to her.  Irene, stay strong and know that years later, your children will honor you and their father.  They'll need to know growing up what a great guy he was and what a great guy you chose to marry.  If you ask anyone at Loyola, they will attest to that.  As your children grow, we will be there for them.  We have so many great stories to share with them of their father's brilliance, kindness and humor.  He won't be forgotten. 
I remember Loyola had converted to Epic from paper charts and there were things that we didn't like about it.  All we had to do was tell Victor and he'd fix it.  I clearly remember talking to him about having I/O's the way we like to present them at rounds.  He made it happen and God knows how much time he ended up saving our interns and future residents.  He was the greatest asset and having someone so smart with computers who understood his fellow surgeon/colleague's needs was priceless.  
I'll never forget, Victor and I were on-call at the VA and we did an emergency case in the middle of the night without an attending.  The whole time the anesthesiologist kept asking when our attending was gonna show up.  He and I did that case and the patient did great and was so grateful/thankful.  I think that case gave us both a certain confidence that was also priceless.  
I really did enjoy working with him.  He was so funny and I remember taking ice cream breaks in our resident's room at the VA during sign out.  They were little things, but they allowed us to cope with the stress of it all.  
Victor was truly one resident that I will never forget.  
One thing that Victor did for me without even asking was ensuring I had material for our in-service exam and my boards!  He was so kind and generous and thoughtful.  And thanks to Victor I rocked those exams.  
God bless Victor Tsirline's soul and his family.  I pray for patience and strength for you, Irene.  
I believe his children will carry on his legacy and make not only their parents but all of us very proud.    
He will not be forgotten.

It was a blessing to work with Victor at CMC.  My family and I are praying for your Family.

I was so shocked to hear of Dr. Tsirline's passing. I only knew Dr. Tsirline for a short time, he just performed emergency surgery on me a couple weeks ago. He was a great Dr, and his bedside manner was great. He explained everything before & after surgery and made sure I understood it all. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Victor was such a nice guy,  Brilliant as well, he helped us so much with any technical problem we had and helped implement the Burn man diagram into our medical record.  He loved being a doctor and helping others and combining his background with medicine.  He will be greatly missed.  I never met his family but know he loved them very much.

Dear Vitya! Thank you so much for coming to the hospital when I was sick. Thank you for easing our minds with free medical advice. Thank you for being a person that people will never forget, will never stop thinking about. Thank you for introducing us to Ira and for your beautiful children. I hope that Julian and Nika will grow up being the best of friends, and so will Angelica and Ellichka. We love your family, we love your parents, we love Ira and we love you. I'm so glad that I got to see you on my birthday. I think this is what I am thankful for the most. You are truly one in a million.

such a tragic accident. I can't believe that victor is gone from our lives. We spent 4 years in medical school together, and we both moved to Loyola together and trained 5 years together in surgery.
he liked school so much he took an extra year at Loyola and worked with his computer skills and medicine. Victor and I had so much fun together over our 9 years together. We both shared two passions, cars and surgery. Victor always helped me with my computer problems over the years, he would take my computer to his house and have it fixed the next day- insisting to help me even though I didn't want to bother him since he was always so busy with his own life. 
I can think of dozens of fun times we have shared together, too many to list...

I have been on the phone for the last week with friends of ours who live all over the country from east coast, to Florida, to the west coast ...he has friends in all places , and we are all in shock ...we all say the same things....how he was so intelligent, caring, funny...
I was just with him a few weeks prior and he was telling me that having a family with children has been the best experience of his life...he was showing me photos of his wife and children and he was smiling so much and was so proud, his biggest accomplishment.

victor will be missed by so many , he has left such an impact  on the people around him- he will never be forgotten- I will miss him and will never forget our times together.

My thoughts and prayers to victor's family in this difficult time.

Mark Keldahl

Victor was a truly amazing person! He was caring and compassionate with everything he did. I met him when he was a resident at Loyola. He was one of the very best residents that we have ever had! The smartest and most generous person! I am thankful to have known him. God bless your family!

Victor spent time with us in the Burn Unit at Loyola as both an intern and our Chief Resident. He was hardworking, kind, and compassionate  with his patients and his co-workers. He treated the nurses as friends and equals and would come up to the seventh floor anytime we asked to help us when our computers crashed since he was also an IT genius. I remember how excited he was to get married and how he went out of his way to get in touch with me surrounding the birth of both his children. He was so proud of his family.  I will always remember Victor as a very skilled physician and surgeon, but just as importantly I will remember him as a great man. I pray for your continued healing and strength and that you always feel Victor's presence in your lives.

I read with such sorrow on the passing of this most remarkable man. I met him in the waiting room at Lake Forest Hospital. My friend had emergency surgery & I went there as a friend & RN to support her & her husband. When I met Dr Tsirline, all my fears were gone, as I found him knowledgeable, kind, caring & he pretended to have all the time in the world for an endless stream of questions. I thought this man is amazing, & told many about him & thought if I would ever need surgery - I would certainly go to him.  Such a brief encounter- yet such a powerful memory. To read all the notices & see how he touched so many in his few precious years. May your family hold these memories precious & dear and be comforted that certainly a man like this is certainly surrounded by angels.

Victor was one the smartest, down-to-earth and hardworking surgeons that I have ever worked with. All the members of my group, other physicians, and nurses found him very approachable. One of my first night shifts at the hospital last year, I called Victor at around midnight for an opinion on a patient as he was on surgery call that night. He discussed the case in detail with me and said he would come right away to see the patient. I told him I could handle it medically as the patient was very stable and he could see the patient in the morning. He gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him directly on it if I had any questions and he would come to see the patient in the night. For him, patients came first. He was very soft spoken, kind and a great advocate for his patients. 

Sometimes we talked about our kids as I also have two young kids and I could see the tenderness and love in his eyes when he mentioned his children. Even for the few times I interacted with him, he left a lasting impression on me. We will very much miss his presence in the hospital. 
I pray for his family and children.

We would like to express our sincere sympathies to the Tsirline family. Victor Tsirline was a remarkable man. There are no words to describe how deeply sorry we are for your loss...Please know that we are here for you.

I am very saddened to hear of Dr. Tsirline's sudden passing.  Dr. Tsirline was the kindest surgeon I have ever known.  I feel fortunate to have had him in my life for the short period of time that I knew him.  My deepest sympathies go out to his wife, children and family.  I can only hope that your pain lessens a little bit each and every day.

My deepest and sincerest condolences to the Tsirline and Chubinskaya families.  I pray for strength for both families, Sincerely, -Rush University

Victor, thank you for your kindness, patience, and eagerness to teach. You will be missed and always remembered.

Victor was a great example to medical students. He showed us how to study and how to approach patients and attendings. His goal was always to motivate curiosity and efficiency with thoughtfulness and compassion. Our deepest sympathies go to his wife, children, and parents.

No words in the world can express our feeling for this tragic loss.  I will miss cleaning your teeth. Love you so much 
Joffe family

I did not know Dr. Tsirline, but I am so touched by this wonderful man.  God Bless his family.

Victor was a brilliant young surgeon and a great member of the team. He will be missed by all of us at Northwestern Medicine.

Dr. Tsirline performed an arterial biopsy  earlier this year that required I remain awake during the procedure.  It was a grueling 2 hours, but he talked to me throughout - answering my questions about Russian history and the different approaches by Stalin and Lenin.  He had a terrific sense of humor and warmth.  He seemed like such special soul whose contribution to this world will be greatly missed.  My condolences to his family - of whom he spoke so warmly.

To Victor's wife, father and mother I greet you in sadness and grief.  I am stunned beyond words as I just opened the Tuesday Chicago Tribune. Victor  performed my emergency surgery one year ago and was simply the best. His bed side manner was always warm and gentle.  Every time I went in to the office or talked to him on the phone he would somewhere along in the conversation say,  "Jane, Jane I am ONLY a colon surgeon!" and would be laughing.  I actually cut his picture off the caregiver brochure  and placed it in a silver frame on my desk to remind me of his great smile.  I did this on SATURDAY not knowing yet.  My heart is breaking for all of us.

I am so sorry for your loss. Dr. Tsirline was a phenominal doctor.  I was scared to get a surgery that I need in May, but he explained everything and was compassionate about it.  He had the best beside manor.  His passing is a great loss!  Prayers for his wife, child, and family.

My deepest sympathy to you and your family during this very trying time.

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

A doctor, nurse practitioner and engineer were with Victor his last moment on earth. We knew his name because he wore his Northwestern  Lake Forest name tag. Realizing the gravity of his injuries we said a simple prayer, Go with God, Victor.

We wept for the wife and children we did not know feeling how profound their loss will be forever. We are so sorry....Andy, Ashish and Sherry

Deepest condolences to Victor's wife, children and family. I worked with him in Charlotte @ the bariatric surgery clinic and we were all shocked to hear about his tragic accident. He was a kind and gentle soul. Anna Marie Mantey, PA-C

I only knew Victor for 2 short years prior to graduating his General Surgery residency. He was always happy and enthusiastic. He was sweet and kind.

The "surgery library" is half books and half surgical study materials/qbanks that Victor seemed to acquire and place on the 'golden' chief resident computer. Residents have credited him with passing ABSITE and Step 3 for years. He was innovative and had talent that would make anyone jealous. EPIC would not be what it is today without his endless hours of making it just right.

Victor's going away present to me when he graduated was a copy of Windows 7 for my PC at home, because he knew that I would never spend the money to buy it myself. 

 He will be missed. I do know that if there is anyway we can connect with loved one's in Heaven, it will be because Victor hooked us up. 

Irene, Please know that Loyola Surgery grieves with you. May God speed whatever it is you need at this tragic, unimaginable moment. Keep your babies close to you and know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. XOXO

Victor was a wonderful, thoughtful, caring friend.  A great and greatly curious mind. He also had tremendous strength of character and conviction, a born sense of right and wrong and just.  An easy way was never his option, only the right way.  His love of pushing limits made him invincible in my mind and when I heard this awful news I wanted someone to double check, as it could not possibly be true.  When he was younger he believed himself bionic, and I first thought surely he would recover from this as well.  While in high school, college, and medical school, I witnessed Victor drive for self-improvement with the highest standards, and endless passion.  Whether it was computers, DJ-ing, even dancing with glow sticks, or anything he became interested in, he threw himself whole heartedly into it. What never wavered was his kindness, his passion for helping, and what I can only think of a Russian word for - ????????????.  My deepest condolences are with his family. He was a beautiful human being.

Victor and I were recently discussing Halloween and I asked if he would be dressing up to take his kids out. He replied he was thinking about dressing up as a surgeon and passing out his business cards. I laughed and chided him for always working. But he loved his job.
I will always remember his smile. He had it every time I saw him. He will truly be missed.

Dr. Tsirline performed surgery on my husband last Wednesday for several hours!  We were impressed by his kindness, taking time to discuss what would take place.  After the procedure, he came out to the waiting room, sat down for 20 minutes and talked.  Great person, great bedside manor.  We were shocked and heartbroken hearing about his death this morning when we arrived for our first follow up appointment. He was a tribute to the medical institution.  Other physicians could learn from his personal touch!  Susan LF

Victor was an exceptional young man. He was kind, gentle and a truly selfless person.  When faced with a challenge he was innovative and industrious.  He was quick to smile and always willing to hear the other options before making his final decision. I will never forget mentioning to Victor that I was "thinking" of starting a nursing educational webpage...the next morning on trauma rounds he shared with me a lovely interactive, color webpage complete with pictures he had "thrown together" for me.

He was granted spirit, intelligence, kindness, compassion, all but the length of years to share these talents.

He will be missed by many,
daria

Dr Tsirline was a wonderful person, very smart, caring man! I am very grateful to him for all that he has done for me, co-workers, for his patients. It was a great learning experience to work with Dr Tsirline as a nurse. He was the most down-to-earth doctor and a friend!  He will forever stay in my heart and memories... 
My sincere condolences to Dr Tsirline's family !!

Just the other day I was telling my favorite Victor story from when I was his chief resident.  I sent him to check that a patient of ours was receiving IV antibiotics we had ordered.  2 hours later, Victor has disassembled and reassembled the IV machine and declared that it now was much more efficient.  Oh, and the antibiotic was on its way.  Classic Victor.  He had his own way of doing things and never apologized.  He outsmarted himself some days I think, but he outsmarted all the rest of us every day I am sure.  He was caring, funny, brilliant, quirky, there just wasn't anyone like him and never will be.  He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.

His smile, his presence and his desire to help others got my attention first. His kindness can never be matched and he will be missed dearly by everybody he met. Good bye Victor, we all loved you very much but God loved you more...................Tito Chowdhury, Buffalo Grove, IL

When I needed study materials, Victor gave me enough study materials to fill up three external hard drives.  Some of them were even printed in Russian.  When I needed to make vent adjustments, Victor showed me which knobs to turn.  I just had to remember to let the RT know what changes we made.  When I needed shielding from attending's, Victor told me to do whatever I wanted to do and if there were any problems just blame it on him.  I just had to make sure he showed up to trauma radiology rounds to take the heat.  

The last case I did with him was at the VA before he graduated.  He was excited to show me how quickly we could bring up an ostomy with an EEA.  And sure enough we finished before the attending made it into the hospital.  

As a friend and a colleague he was truly kind, supportive, and selfless.  As a physician he was compassionate and caring.  As a surgeon he was innovative and determined to push the limits of technology, if only he was granted more time.  I enjoyed the time we spent together, when I needed to think outside of the box you gave me that opportunity.  When I needed perspective and support, you were a calming presence. I know that as a husband, father, son, friend, colleague, healer, surgeon, scientist, innovator, and human being you will be truly missed.

OBITUARY

Victor Tsirline

May 6, 1978 – November 23, 2013

Weinstein & Piser Funeral Home

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