Richard Arazi

Beloved Bismarck physician, Dr. Richard Josef Cohen Arazi, passed away Sept. 29, 2016, at Sanford Health following a massive heart attack. Services for Dr. Arazi will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, with military honors at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at noon followed by lunch at Parkway at 12:30 p.m.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Parkway Funeral Service, where a time of sharing will begin at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue on Friday one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Richard was born in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 17, 1946, to Sophie and Joseph Arazi. Like thousands of Egyptian Jewish families, Richard's family became refugees during the Suez Canal Crisis in 1956. The Red Cross brought them to Italy and settled them in France, French being the family's first language. Richard lived in France for three years, before the family moved to Chicago when he was 13.

Chicago was Richard's home for 10 years. It was there he learned English, in part from watching the "I Love Lucy" show. Always a brilliant student, Richard completed high school at South Shore High when he was 16, finished college at the Illinois Institute of Technology when he was 19, and completed medical school at the University of Illinois when he was 22. Academic honors included membership in the Phi Eta Sigma Fraternity. Richard became a U.S. citizen in 1965 at age 19.

In 1969, Richard joined the U.S. Navy as a 22-year-old physician with the rank of lieutenant commander. The same year he married Sherri Keefer of San Diego. Sherri traveled with him to the Philippines, where he served at the Subic Bay Medical Dispensary, taking care of sailors and, to his surprise, delivering 100 babies over the next two years. He spent another two years at the Naval Sub Medical Center in New London, Conn., until honorably discharged in 1973. Richard earned the National Defense Service Medal, the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, the Meritorious Citation and the Vietnam Service Medal.

Dr. Arazi began his first neurology internship at the University of Kansas in Kansas City from 1973-74, and a second neurology internship at the University of Minnesota from 1974-75. He trained for an additional three months at National Hospital, Queen Square, London, in EMG.

He had a private practice in Loveland, Colo., from 1978 until the time of his divorce in 1979. In 1980, he became an assistant professor at the UND Medical School and worked in private practice in Grand Forks.

While in Grand Forks, Richard met his loving wife of 34 years, Lorraine Dopson. After he was hired by Bismarck Hospital, the couple moved to Bismarck in 1982, where they were married. In the past 34 years, Dr. Arazi worked at St. Alexius, operated his own Dakota Neurology Clinic for over 25 years, and finishing his career at Sanford in the same offices where he began his work. He continued his love of teaching with the UND medical students, helping set up a neurology teaching program for family practice residents and fourth-year medical students.

The welfare of his patients was always foremost in Richard's thoughts. He touched the lives of thousands of people with his keen intellect, his excellent diagnostic skills, and his warm and gentle heart. He had planned to retire at the end of December for some much-deserved rest and family time.

Happy to have shared his life is his wife, Lorraine Dopson, as well as his children, Dana Arazi (Heather), Natalie Arazi and Alex Arazi (Katya) and twin grandchildren, Phoenix and Ravyn Arazi, all of Los Angeles. Richard was very close to his sister, Julie Coambs Arazi, and her husband, Duane Coambs, Champaign, Ill. He also leaves behind three devoted nieces, Tanya, Sandra and Allysa; his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Larry Dopson and Christine Hogan and their son, Christopher, all of Bismarck; his brother-in-law, Dr. Warren Dopson and Meg Vinton, Twin Falls, Idaho; and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Eileen and Bruce Goff, San Diego.

Memorial donations may be made to the Sanford Diabetes Research Center, the Central Dakota Humane Society or other organizations of your choice.

Go to www.parkwayfuneral.com to share memories of Richard and to sign the online guest book.