Dr. George Michael Gura Jr.
Tuesday, December 1, 1936
Date of Death:
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Age:
80 years old
Visitation
Date: Wednesday January 25, 2017
Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Location: River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home [ view map ]
Second Visitation
Date: Thursday January 26, 2017
Time: 9:30 am - 10:30 am
Location: Co-Cathedral of St. John The Evangelist [ view map ]
Funeral Mass
Date: Thursday January 26, 2017
Time: 10:30 am
Location: Co-Cathedral of St. John The Evangelist [ view map ]
Burial
Location: Oakwood Cemetery
Tuesday, December 1, 1936
Date of Death:
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Age:
80 years old
Tuesday, December 1, 1936
Date of Death:
Saturday, January 21, 2017
Age:
80 years old
Dr. George Michael Gura Jr.
Every now and then, a person comes into the world who leaves an irreplaceable mark on people from all across the globe. It is impossible to quantify the massive impact Dr. George M. Gura Jr. had on the world, his family, his friends, and his patients, but we will always remember and honor his kindness, his compassion, and his overwhelming generosity.
Born in 1936 in Hartford, Connecticut to Dr. George M. Gura & Mrs. Elizabeth Sullivan Gura, Dr. Gura grew up watching his father practice medicine as a small town physician, on call twenty-four hours a day, making house visits, taking vegetables and other goods in lieu of payment – often accepting no payment at all. This endless and selfless practice of medicine propelled Dr. Gura into a life of service, dedicated to his family, his country, and of course, his patients.
Dr. Gura believed the secret to life was education, largely because his own education changed the course of his life and inspired his strong work ethic. He was educated at The Taft School, Middlebury College, Columbia University, and the University of Virginia School of Medicine before joining the United States Navy at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. For the next decade of his life, Dr. Gura continued to serve his country as a flight surgeon during the Vietnam War, stationed out of Norfolk, Virginia. Later in life, Dr. Gura specialized in Cardiology, eventually serving as Chairman of the Cardiovascular Division at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri.
Dr. Gura’s love for the Mayo Clinic began in 1970 and will live for eternity. After completing his residency and fellowship at Mayo, Dr. Gura was, and always will be, honored as one of Mayo’s Cardiovascular Consultants. He loved Mayo’s history and environment, and he was constantly in awe of all his colleagues, often telling his friends and family that he surrounds himself with people smarter than him every day, which is what allows him to thrive as a physician.
He was dedicated to the development and improvement of his subspecialty in echocardiography and ran fifty-three consecutive echocardiography conferences in Vail, CO with some of the most talented men and women of his field. Vail, CO quickly became Dr. Gura’s favorite place on earth.
Although his mind was surely brilliant, his heart was even more powerful. He fell in love with all his patients. His commitment to and enthusiasm for his international patients lead him to develop, and became the Director of, the International Cardiology Clinic within Mayo’s Department of Cardiovascular Diseases. He loved working with his secretary and his team of nurses, who he fondly referred to as “Friends of George,” a title that spread to include an army of loved ones during his battle with cancer.
Dr. Gura’s love for medicine was rivaled only by his love for his family. In 1960, he married Nancy Ahearn, by whom he had three incredible children: Dr. George M. Gura lll, Thomas Gura PhD, and Elizabeth Gura Polese MBA. In 1985, he married Janice L. Jeffries, and had one daughter, Kristen Gura Fickman. He was the most generous, loving husband, and a truly unparalleled father.
Dr. Gura was famous for his passion for distance running, completing over thirty marathons in his lifetime. He had a particularly strong bond with the Boston Marathon and wore his Boston Strong hat with the utmost pride. He ran his final Boston Marathon in 2016, finishing at the top of his age group. He always said with a wink, “To win my age group, I don’t need to get faster, I just need to get a little older.”
Dr. Gura will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Janice; four siblings, Patricia, James, Francis, and Susan; four children, George, Tom, Elizabeth, and Kristen; daughter-in-law, Veronica; son-in-law, Andy; and six “grand-chickens”, Samantha, Gabriela, Elaina, Andrea, Hayden, and Carolina – all of whom he loved over the moon. Papa George leaves a huge legacy for us all to protect.
A visitation for Dr. George M. Gura Jr. will be held at the Macken Funeral Home River Park Chapel on Wednesday January 25, 2017 from 5pm – 8pm. A funeral Mass will take place Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 10:30am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church with Rev. Msgr. Gerald Mahon officiating with a visitation starting at 9:30am at the church. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Rochester.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations sent to the Boston Strong Charity. http://bostonstrong.org.
Condolences
The family of Dr. George Michael Gura Jr. has received the following condolences.
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My condolences go out to the family of Dr. Gura. I have many wonderful memories of him in Kansas City at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute. He was a great physician - a wonderful person!!
To the family of Dr. George Gura,
It was a privilege to know Dr. Gura during his time at Mid American Heart Institute and Mayo Clinic.
My prayers are with you. May he rest in peace.
Joe Apostol MD
CardioVascular Consultants of Montana,PLLC
1101 N 27th St Ste F
Billings, MT 59101
University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Medicine '93
Mayo Clinic - IM '96, CMR '97
Jan,
Thinking of you and your family.
Tracy Stevens
My Condolence to the family of Dr.Gura on his passing. I grew up with his family here in Southington, Ct., his father was also my family doctor. His older sister Pat along with George, James all attended the Old North Center School on the same street as our homes. I also work for the family doing grounds up keep etc., my thoughts will be with the family knowing George as we were as kids and what George accompllished in his adult life.
Sincerely Yours
Joseph N. Rich
I worked with Dr. Gura at Cardiovascular Consultants. He was a wonderful doctor and a pleasure to work with. My condolences for your loss. He will be missed by many.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Gura family. Dr. Gura was a wonderful man/physician that touched the lives and hearts of many of us ! Rest in Peace....
I only met Papa George a few times, but was touched by what a wonderful a man he was. His warmth was infectious and I consider it an honor that I was able to witness the love and devotion he had for his daughter Kristen. Wishing all the love and support to the Gura family during this immensely difficult time.
I am so sorry to hear about Dr Gura. Please accept our deepest sympathy. He was an amazing person
he will be missed.
Warm love. From.
Josn Main. And Mark Durell
To Jan, Beth, and Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with you all. George was an amazing man and his wise advise impacted my teenage life significantly. He will be greatly missed.
Diana Kreiling
Our family's deepest sympathies goes out to you and your family. My mother as well as my siblings, my wife, and myself are honored and blessed to closely know Dr. Gura. He will always live in our memories and heart. We always felt that he was a part of our family back in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It's a big loss for any person who was honored to know Dr. Gura. We lost a noble person and sincere and caring professional who gives his special care to his patients. His legacy will live forever. May God bless him and heaven be his place.
My deepest condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Dr. Gura.
My heart is heavy knowing you are gone, but I am eternally grateful to you.
Thank you for the wonderful memories, opportunities, your selfless service to others and the million laughs!
You are the best Dr. Gura!
I have known Dr. Gura for years and loved working with him in the Echo Lab. I loved the days we worked together, they where very special days. He always had the nicest smile, kind word and always made you feel good. Talking to him I could always see how much he loved his wife and children. He felt very blessed to have each and every one. He always took time for his patients and their needs.
I feel very blessed to have known Dr George Gura.
I worked with Dr Gura at the Mid America Heart Institute for several years and want to express my condolences to Jan and the family for their loss. Dr Gura was a great physician and even a better person. We used to talk Royals baseball and I'm sure we both thought we figured out what was wrong with the team in those lean years.
It was my pleasure to know him.
Paul Grindstaff
Dr George was a customer of ours at Sargents for years. Talked to him many times over the years. He was a wonderful man and we will miss him greatly.
I am deeply saddened to learn of Dr Gura's passing. He was the best and most influential teacher I ever knew. I was truly honored by his interest in me as a Sonographer. He not only helped me learn my craft, he taught me how to respect and care for the patients I served. Early in our relationship, I remember him telling me, "if you do what is right for the patient, you cannot be wrong". I took that to heart and tried to follow his teaching. He literally left the world a better place for having passed through it.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Gura family. May the support of your friends and loved ones help to ease the pain of your broken hearts.
We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague Dr George Gura.
We have known George for the past 16 years and have always counted on his excellent medical care, good advice, kindness and compassion
George truly represented what Mayo Clinic s all about and he was their true ambassador ...
He has provided excellent care to many of our patients in UAE both locally and in Mayo. We could always count on George anytime anywhere...
George has truly touched the hearts of so many of his patients and friends...
Our hearts go out to you Janice, Kristen and all of George's children and loved ones. May God grant you solace to bear his loss and may his memory live on
With our warmest sympathies and condolences
Samra and Mo
Dr. Gura will be surely missed in our echo lab. I always enjoyed his company and peaceful caring ways. His commitment and love of our patients was a joy to behold.
Words can't express how dearly he is missed.
Jocelyn (cardiac sonographer)
So very sorry to hear of Dr. Gura's passing.
He was a great teacher and memories of those times and his unique humor will not be forgotten.
I am proud to say I knew him.
I am so sorry to hear of Dr. Gura's passing. My heart goes out to his wife and loved ones. I got to know Dr. Gura while working in the International Center at Mayo Rochester. He worked tirelessly to serve our international patients. I knew that I could call Dr. Gura anytime and he would find a way to work a patient into his already packed schedule. I remember a time when my brother had emergency cardiac surgery at St Mary's for what they thought might be a rare, hereditary cardiac defect. His surgeon recommended that all 7 siblings be thoroughly checked for this defect. I told Dr. Gura about my brother and he quickly offered to order cardiac ultrasounds and follow through on all of us. His swift offer to help brought peace of mind to me and my family. I have so much admiration for Dr. Gura. He will be missed.
Patty Rucker
Ponte Vedra, Florida
My heart goes out to Jan, Kristen, the entire Gura family, Mayo Cardiovascular Department and Clinic. George was an exceptional colleague, friend, mentor, and fellow runner, whom we all loved and will desperately miss, holding him dear in lifelong memories. His kindness, generosity, respect, compassion, patience, understanding, courage and determination, even in the face of the ultimate adversary, were admirable. Thank you George for all you have shared and taught us, and the legacy you have endowed in every one of us. Now Rest In Peace. With deepest sympathies, Sharon
Our deepest sympathy to the entire Gura family. We are each kinder, more thoughtful and generous for having had the honor or working with George. His memory lives on in each of us that have learned from him.
Jane
Dear Janice and Family,
Although Thomas worked more closely with George, I too remember his remarkable presence and the grace you both carried at our last visit.
My heartfelt sympathy is with you.
Julia Behrenbeck
IT is with great sadness to hear half away around the world that a shining example of an already star-studded department of cardiology has passed away. George was not just a friend, he lived every day what a true patient advocate should be. He was fierce in his devotion to his patients, yet he had a deep love and respect for his colleagues and the world. One could not deny anything that George asked (and he did not ask for much), because you knew he would do the same and more for you. Having had the opportunity to work with him, one learned what devotion to his profession looked like. In all of the energy he spent in his profession, he retained integrity and love for those around him, looking for their best interest.
I will miss him, his determination, his love for those around him, his dry humor, and his energy. It was sometimes embarrassing being nearly 20 years his junior that he could run circles around you, but then again, it made me want to do better. Mayo was the ideal place for him to work, since it matched his belief "the patient comes first", and he personally pursued this to the fullest.
Rest in peace, George, I bet they will have a fantastic marathon course for you, wherever you go that you will enjoy.
With fond memories and thanks for your friendship, Thomas
Where to begin? Thirty-plus years of friendship and care is enough to know & admire a great man like Dr. George Gura. From our first picnic in Vail, to numerous other visits, including many ECOs at the Marriott Vail, exceptional caring & consulting at the Mayo (for Tom's Surgery & even the Backhus ladies), and many 4 Eagle/Mayo Events, we are totally indebted to George and feel such a significant loss. However, we know it is no where the loss his dear Family is feeling. Our love and prayers are extended to Jan and the Gura Family for peace, comfort and abundant blessings in the memories of this wonderful man - his Legacy will be eternal!
Please, accept our deepest sympathy. Dr. Gura's kindness much touched our hearts. I appreciated Dr. Gura's wonderful teaching during my fellowship. He shared his enormous clinical experience and wisdom with enthusiasm and great joy, and his door were always open. Our prayers have been with you.
Sincerely,
Ewa Konik with family
Please accept our deepest sympathy on the death of Dr. George. We loved him as our brother-in-law and cherish all the wonderful memories in the sixties and seventies when we were all together at the beach house in Madison, CT or just sharing special moments together. We love his children George,Tom and Beth as if they were our own.We know that his family has so so many wonderful memories of happy times together ..particularly those most recent in October and at Christmas.. He made his legacy based on his love and devotion to family, his medical practice,his expertise and also his earthiness ..it was that down to earth style that we remember as does anyone who knew him. Our thoughts, love and prayers are with Jan,Kristin ,George, Tom and Beth and the entire Gura family at this difficult time for all.
Papa was a great and kind man with an enormous legacy -- especially a legacy of love -- that will live on. He was a true gentleman and I feel blessed to have known him. Sending much love to all of you. You are in Chambers' and my thoughts.
Betsy Sullenger
I had the pleasure of meeting Papa George a couple of times. What stood out to me more than anything was the profound impact he had on the lives of everyone who knew him. Even though I only met him those few times, I could tell through his family and friends, how special he truly was. Whenever they speak of him, their smiles light up, their mood brightens, and general happiness abounds. This is what I will remember about Papa George - how everyone was better off knowing him and that joy will continue on.
My deepest condolences to the Gura family and friends.
George was an esteemed colleague, a trusted master clinician, and he will be sorely missed from our department.
His demeanor was always insightful, upbeat, and kind.
He brought health, good cheer, and comfort to countless tens of thousands of patients and friends over the years.
Our well wishes extend to Janice and his family during this time of their bereavement.
With deepest sympathies,
Tom and Janet Munger
Our thoughts and prayers to Jan and the rest of the family. George was a wonderful physician and very caring individual who always went above and beyond to make sure everyone else was doing fine. He was a dear friend to us and we will be forever grateful to have known him. We will cherish the memories we created with him and Jan over the years. GMG you will never be forgotten. Rest In Peace my friend!
We are very saddened by the news of the loss of Dr Gura... we will miss him miss his care and advices... visiting Mayo Clinic won't be the same without him... our prayers go to all his family and May He Rest In Peace.
Ginane Abdelkhalek and Enrico Simiinato