Edward R. Chahin

Captain Edward Ramon Chahin, U.S. Public Health Service (ret.), passed away unexpectedly at a Miami, Florida hospital on June 2, 2022. He was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, South America, on February 22, 1932 to Ramon and Sarita Chahin. Growing up, Edward attended San Pedro Jesuit School in Bucaramanga. Later, he attended medical school at National University of Colombia in Bogota, followed by a residency in Chicago, Illinois. On May 18, 1967, Edward married the love of his life, Dixie Behrens. After a brief practice of general medicine in Elmhurst, Illinois, he went on to a surgical residency in Baltimore, Maryland with the U.S. Public Health Service (a unit of the military) where he was commissioned as a captain. After residency, he was stationed in Nassau Bay (Houston) working as a general surgeon at a hospital for Navy and Coast Guard seamen. Later, during the early 1980s, he was transferred to the Indian Health Service hospital in Ada, Oklahoma, where he became the Chief of Surgery at Chickasaw Nation Medical Center. In 2006, Edward retired with 32 years of military service.
   Edward was a patient, kind, and humble man of great integrity and strong work ethic. He was a joy to his patients and friends, always taking time to acknowledge them. He was generous and used humor to relate to others. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. All who knew him, loved him. Edward was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Victor, and a son, Scott Edward. He is survived by his loving wife Dixie, his daughter Sara Mercer (Bart) and two granddaughters, Ashley and Amanda, of Norman, Oklahoma, as well as four nephews, Jose Victor, Robert, Edward, and Sammi, all of Barranquilla, Colombia. He was truly the best of the best. Blessed by his presence in their lives, Edward (“Papa Doc”) is sorely missed by his family. A private memorial mass is being planned for a later date.