Dr. Sezai Gursel's Obituary
Dr. Sezai Gursel passed away on April 17, 2018, after an extended stay in the hospital at the age of 85. He passed from this world with the same practicality and matter-of-fact approach with which he lived his life.
Sezai was born in Gaziantep, Turkey in 1932. He received a scholarship to attend medical school at Ankara University and later completed his residency in pathology at the Cerrahpaşa Hospital of Istanbul University. He emigrated to the United States in 1964, and he completed a second residency at Ohio State Hospital in 1969. Sezai settled in Georgia in 1971 for the rest of his life and practiced medicine at Candler Hospital in Savannah, at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta and later joined a private pathology practice affiliated with St. Francis Hospital in Columbus, Georgia. Dr. Gursel was a highly disciplined man with a sharp mind who insisted on both academic and professional excellence, and he was a great teacher.
Sezai took pleasure in dancing and listening to classical music and opera, and he marveled when watching piano virtuosos perform. He had a lifelong love of learning and a voracious appetite for reading about science, history and medicine. His pastimes included traveling and photography, following current events, playing racquetball and tennis, and watching sports, particularly NBA games. (He was pleased when Golden State beat San Antonio the day before he passed). He was also known to occasionally lecture people on improving their health, sometimes in colorful ways.
Sezai will be fondly remembered by his wife, Margaret; daughter, Ayca; sons, Ozan and Umut; four grandchildren; many members of his extended family; and his beloved dog, Roxi.
Private family funeral services will be held on Wednesday, April 25th at 11am with a one-hour visitation at Davis-Struempf Funeral Home. A memorial service is pending at this time. Please check back for additional information.
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