Dr. Ghassem Vakili was born October 25, 1936 in Estahban, Iran, the youngest of four sons to the late Hossain and Roghiehi Vakili. He attended high school at Namazi High School in Shiraz and finished as the number one student all three years, then studied at Tehran University where he finished medical school also as a top student. He came to the US in 1962 to do his internship and Ob/Gyn residency in Detroit, Baltimore, and Wilmington. He returned to Iran in 1968 to complete his military service in Ahvaz, where he was appointed as chief of Ob/Gyn at Jundishapur University, and where he also became a professor. During his two years in Ahvaz, Ghassem and 25 other American-trained specialist physicians helped to turn Jundishapur Hospital into a first class American style hospital that helped the poor from nearby villages receive top class medical care at low or no cost. He described this time as the best part of his professional career. Ghassem was honored to serve his countrymen and pay back the free education he received from his beloved home country.
It was also during this time that Ghassem met his wife, Rouhanguiz (Ruhi) Soofi, a nurse who was working at the hospital with her niece Farideh, the head nurse in the hospital’s Ob/Gyn department. The two were soon married and moved back to the US in 1969, settling in Wilmington, Delaware where they would eventually raise their three children and where he started his own medical practice. Early in his career, he volunteered for the Little Sisters of the Poor where he provided medical care to uninsured women. He also dedicated his time to teaching, through training and sharing his expertise with local medical students and residents. Through his solo medical practice of over 40 years, Ghassem delivered thousands of babies into the world, and loved nothing more than to care for his patients, which he did until his retirement in December 2019.
Ghassem was a deeply devoted husband and father for whom family and loved ones meant everything. He will be profoundly missed by his wife Ruhi, their children Babak, Bardis, and Roya, daughters-in-law Stefanie and Jody, and grandchildren Parker, Sydney, Kian, and Seena, as well as countless family members, friends, colleagues, and former patients.
The family will receive relatives and friends from 10:00-11:00 a.m. on Saturday May 17th at McCrery and Harra Funeral Home, 3924 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE19803 where a service will begin at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Joseph on the Brandywine Cemetery, 10 Old Church Road, Wilmington, Delaware. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association https://donorservices.alz.org/. To send condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com.
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