Ghassan Khalil

Dr. Ghassan Khalil, Loved and Respected Husband, Father, Doctor and Appreciator of the Arts, dies at 77.Dr. Khalil, also known fondly as Dr. Ghassan to friends, from Vienna, WV, died peacefully at Camden Clark Medical Center the evening of Tuesday, July 12, 2011. Dr. Khalil was born May 6, 1934, in Tyre, Lebanon, and was the youngest of eight children of Ibrahim Abou Khalil and Fahima Wahid Khalil.After attending medical school at the American University of Beirut, he moved to Nice, France, for his medical internship, where he met the love of his life, Genevieve Bourdis. Together they moved to New York City, where Dr. Khalil completed his surgical residency, and they married on July 15, 1963. They then moved to Miami Beach where Dr. Khalil trained to become a plastic surgeon, and in 1968, Dr. and Mrs. Khalil moved to the Parkersburg area where Dr. Khalil joined the medical group – Parkersburg Medical Association (PMA) – and raised their three children, Olivier, Yasmine and Natasha.Dr. Khalil practiced his specialty, plastic surgery, for 25 years. He was loved, respected and very much appreciated by many who knew how dedicated he was to his craft.Patients especially appreciated that he brought an artist's eye to his work, as Dr. Khalil was an accomplished painter and painted over 100 works over his lifetime. In fact, his other passion in life was the arts – whether as a painter, a sponsor of the Parkersburg Actors' Guild, involvement in the Parkersburg Art Center, or continuing his education at Marietta College – Dr. Khalil was committed to the arts not only for himself but for the community.He was a strong believer in continuing education and appreciation of the arts.He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Genny Khalil, his three children & their spouses, Olivier & Renae, Yasmine & Clint, Natasha & Brad, six grandchildren, Matthew, Sarah, Christopher, Lily, Dylan and Liam, and a brother and sister who still reside in Lebanon.A collection of Dr. Khalil's paintings will be on display for friends to view, appreciate and purchase at the Parkersburg Art Center from Wednesday, Aug. 31 through Sunday, Sept. 4. In keeping with his philanthropic interests, any and all proceeds from the sale of his paintings will be donated to the Parkersburg Art Center. A private memorial service to celebrate his life will be held the afternoon of Sunday, September 4, 2011. Memorial contributions can be made to The Actors' Guild or the Parkersburg Art Center. It would have touched him to know those who loved and knew him would honor his passion for the arts.