Immanuel Benjamin, M.D. (S 1969, I 1970)

Immanuel Benjamin died on January 8, 2017 at the age of 84 from cardio-pulmonary causes. He was born in Lahore, British India, on November 23, 1932, to Benjamin and Grace. His father was a government school teacher. Immanuel took pre-med courses at Forman Christian College and attended the Nishtar Medical School in Multan, Pakistan. He began working as a general surgeon at the United Christian Hospital in Lahore during his last two years of medical school. Under the tutelage of Dr. Ed Rice, within four years he was performing all the surgeries that Dr. Rice performed. From 1964 to 1970 Immanuel was in Rochester, Minnesota where he was the first Fellow from Pakistan accepted in the clinical program of the graduate school at the Mayo Clinic. Returning to the UCH, he was given the position of Medical Director and served there for seven years. During this period, he was instrumental in the founding of the Christian Hospital Association of Pakistan, which gave hospital leadership and personnel a forum for discussion of common problems and goals. He came to the United States in 1977 and worked first at the hospital in Nyssa, Oregon. Moving to Holy Rosary Hospital in Ontario, Oregon, he also performed surgeries at the Weiser Hospital and the Emmett Hospital. He served the people of the Treasure Valley for close to thirty years. Soon after retiring in 2005, he returned to the United Christian Hospital in Lahore as a volunteer missionary commissioned by the Presbytery of Boise. He remained there until 2010. Married to his wife Jacquelyn for 17 years, he is also survived by his first wife Gladys and his four children, Naghma, Gibran, Naveeda, and Ephraim. The family welcomes friends and relatives to celebrate the life of Immanuel Benjamin at a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. on January 28, 2017, at First Presbyterian Church, 212 E Third St, Emmett, ID followed by a light lunch. In lieu of flowers, donations in Immanuel’s honor may be made to the Memorial Fund of the First Presbyterian Church, 212 E Third Street, Emmett, ID 83617. Local arrangements made with Potter Funeral Chapel.

Obituary originally published at Legacy.com.