Mario R. Salem, Sr. M.D.

Mario R. Salem, Sr. M.D. passed away peacefully on Thursday October 24, 2019 at the age of 94. Mario was preceded in death by his loving and devoted wife, Ione, to whom he was married for 61 precious years, and by both of his beloved sons Kevin Salem and Mario Salem, Jr. M.D. He is survived by his two daughters and sons-in-law, Susan Ryan (Matt) of Wellesley, MA and Jean Salem (Mike) of Wellington, FL. He also leaves behind his two beautiful granddaughters Emily Ione and Lauren Jean who brought immeasurable joy to their grandparents’ lives, helping ease the sorrow of the loss of their own two sons. He also leaves behind numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, many of whom live in Peru, and his beloved nieces Paulina and Marina of Winter Park and Ana Lucia of Guelf, Canada. Dr. Salem was born in Arequipa, Peru to Jorge and Elvira Salem and grew up in the Andean town of Cuzco, Peru with his five younger siblings. He spent his childhood attending a Salesian Catholic school in Cuzco and playing in the ruins of the Inca Empire that surrounded his community. He attended the National University of Cuzco and went on to study medicine at the National University of San Marcos in Lima, the first officially established and the longest continuously operating university in the Americas. Upon completion of his medical degree and internship, he completed his residency in anesthesia at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. It was there that he met Ione, an operating room nurse, and the love of his life. They married in Lima in 1955, had four children there, and moved to Boston after nine years in Lima together. In Boston he worked as an anesthesiologist at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, now known as Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and was an Instructor in Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School. In 1967 he moved his family to Miami where he was Chief of Anesthesia at the VA hospital in Coral Gables and in 1968 helped establish the anesthesia department for the new VA hospital in downtown Miami. During this time, he also served as an Assistant Professor of Anesthesia at the University of Miami Medical School. Dr. Salem moved his family to Sarasota in 1970 and practiced as an anesthesiologist at Sarasota Memorial Hospital (SMH) for nearly 40 years, retiring at the age of 82 so that he could take care of his wife Ione. During his career in Sarasota he served as Chief of Anesthesia at both SMH and Doctor's Hospital and was treasured by hospital staff and patients alike. He cherished long-standing friendships with his colleagues from SMH and felt extremely fortunate to continue visiting with them until his passing. Mario and Ione travelled the world and enjoyed classical music, opera and theater together. Along with being an incredibly talented anesthesiologist, he was a devoted husband and father, known for his kindheartedness, generosity, and empathy for others. His family will miss hearing him tell the remarkable stories of his life and know we will never be as loved. Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 9th, 2019 from 10AM to 12PM at the Toale Brothers Funeral Home, 6903 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, FL 34231. A Committal Service will follow at Sarasota Memorial Park at 12:30 PM. Friends and family are invited to join in a Celebration of Mario’s life from 2PM to 4PM on November 9th at the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, 6700 South Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations go to the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation https://www.smhf.org/giving/make-a-gift or to the University of Miami John K. Robinson Fund in support of medical student grants and scholarships at http://alumni.med.miami.edu/make-a-gift.

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Mario R. Salem, Sr. M.D.

October 24, 2019