Joaquin B. Quilez

Nov. 2, 1934 - Aug. 15, 2007 JOAQUIN B. QUILEZ, M.D. died August 15, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain, four weeks after suffering a heart attack while on vacation with his daughter and two grandchildren. Joaquin died surrounded by his children and family in the country he had left, but had always loved. He was born the son of the town doctor in Mazaleon, a small town in Teruel, Spain, November 2, 1934. Joaquin always joked that he had two options in Mazaleon: become a doctor like his father, or become a farmer. His skin, he said, was too fair for farming. Joaquin chose a life of medicine and spent nearly 47 years as an obstetrician and gynecologist, delivering an estimated 11,000 babies. Ultimately, he was a generational obstetrician, delivering the babies of children he had delivered. This time in his career was especially meaningful. From 1955 to 1960, Joaquin served in the Spanish Army as Assistant Chief in the Military Hospital in the Army Medical Corp in Lerida, Spain. In 1955, Joaquin graduated from the University of Barcelona with a Bachelor of Science. In 1959, he graduated from the University of Barcelona's School of Medicine. From 1959 to 1960, Joaquin was a Scholar Fellow in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Toulouse University in Toulouse, France. He was then a Scholar Fellow in Endocrinology at L'Ecole D' Hormonology at the University of Paris in 1960. From 1961 to 1962, he did a Fellowship in Obstetrics, Gynecology and Urology at the University of Barcelona. In 1962, Joaquin came to the United States, doing a rotating internship at Newark City Hospital from 1962 to 1963. From 1963 to 1966, he did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the same hospital. In 1968, Joaquin received a Masters of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from the University of California at Berkeley. What Joaquin thought was a temporary move to the United States would forever change his life. While doing his rotating internship in Newark, Joaquin met Christine, a nursing student. They fell in love and were married May 23, 1964. The early years of their marriage brought travel. From 1966 to 1967, Joaquin was a staff physician at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey. From 1967 to 1969, he was an attending physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Memorial Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois. They finally settled in Albany, New York. From 1969 to 1974, Joaquin was an attending physician in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Albany Medical center and was assistant professor in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Albany Medical College. From 1969 to 1974, he was also the Director of Family Planning and Consultive Gynecology at Albany Medical College. In Albany, Joaquin and Christine began their family, having two children: Sharon, in 1970, and Bryan, in 1972. In 1974, they moved to Houston, opened an office, and worked together until her death in 2003. From 1974 to 2006, Joaquin was an attending physician at Memorial Hermann Hospital Southwest. Additionally, from 1984 to 2006, Joaquin was an attending physician at West Houston Medical Center. Closing the office in December 2006 was a bittersweet moment for Joaquin, as it held the promise of freedom and the memories of a career over. Joaquin was a doctor who loved his patients and the job that brought joy to people's lives. He always remarked that his job and the miracle of birth were constant affirmations of his belief in God and for this he felt blessed. Before her death in 2003, Joaquin and Christine spent nearly forty years together. Theirs was a true and unique love, as they were rarely separated, spending every day together at the office and at home. When Joaquin wasn't working, they loved to travel, especially annual visits to his homeland. He missed her greatly after her death. They were both of the opinion that God puts two people together to create one great person and they felt chosen for each other. Joaquin was a good and kind man, a great doctor, and an exceptional father and Papa. His earliest memories were of living in a cave during the Spanish Civil War and, as such, he was aware of the opportunities and blessings in his life. He was a doctor who loved not just medicine, but the people he treated, many times not charging for services from those less fortunate. When his children were young and in school and he would leave the house before they got up, he would squeeze fresh orange juice, bringing a glass to their rooms and waking them to drink it. He would tell them he loved them and wish them a good day before they went back to sleep. Later, he was the dad who always had extra coffee ready at 6:00 am for his children on their way to work. His laughter and talks were such a wonderful way to start the day that rarely was a morning missed. Joaquin was the confidant, the friend, and the advisor. His advice, in words and actions, was guided by love and his desire for those he loved to be happy and secure. He was the grandfather who made time every day for his Sophie and his Quinn, helping Sophie to decorate and redecorate her dollhouse and the only one who would actually drink the concoctions she made in her kitchen. His pantry and pockets always held their favorite treats. Joaquin loved a good story and, when a story was good, he would tell it over and over, enjoying it just as much as the first time and never minding if he had told the story ten times before. You knew from the start whether he thought a story was funny, as his stomach would start to shake even before he spoke the first words. His stories always had a point and he was forever teaching. His life was an example of goodness. His heart was large, as was his ability to love. We are full with memories of the patriarch and the anchor of our family. Had we been able to handpick a father, we would have chosen him. God was smiling on us the day he gave us Dad. We are grateful he was in a place he loved and doing what he loved when his time came. We know he is now with Christine and we know they are both looking over us. Joaquin was preceded in death by his father, Rodolfo Quilez, his mother, Monica Burillo Quilez, and his sister, Maria Pilar Quilez. He is survived by his loving daughter and son-in-law, Sharon Quilez Lesniak and Ken Lesniak; his son, Bryan Quilez; his grandchildren Sophie and Quinn Lesniak; his sister, Blanca Quilez Burillo; his nieces Mercedes Quilez, Maria Pilar Quilez, Colleen Johnson, and Clory Rose Putnam; his nephew Robert Aldrich; as well as other special family and friends. The visitation will be held on Sunday, August 26, 2007 at Earthman Funeral Home Hunters Creek Chapel, 8303 Katy Freeway from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Funeral services will be held Monday, August 27, 2007 at 1:30 pm at St. Cyril's of Alexandria Church, 10503 Westheimer Road. Following the internment and final blessing at Memorial Oaks Cemetery, there will be a reception at St. Cyril's of Alexandria Church. Ironically, the Hospital Clinico in Barcelona where Joaquin died is the same hospital where he did his initial studies and training in medicine. Joaquin's family wishes to thank the medical and nursing staff at the Hospital Clinico in Barcelona for the excellent and compassionate care he received, specifically Dr. Marta Farerro and Dr. Ana Garcia and nurses Maria, Nuria, and Monse. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the San Jose Clinic, 301 Hamilton Street in Houston, Texas, in his name.