Joseph Carnegie Avakoff M.D., J.D.

Joseph Carnegie Avakoff was born on July 15, 1936 in Fairbanks, Alaska to Harry and Margaret Avakoff. Harry Avakoff was born in Armenia and married Margaret Adams of Fresno, California, who was also Armenian and from a very large and warm family. Joseph fondly told stories about his mother who spent several hours a day playing classical piano. Harry worked as a jeweler and owned his own shop making custom jewelry. Together Harry and Margaret lived in Fairbanks and had three sons, Louis, Edward, and Joseph.

Joseph had fond memories of his childhood in Alaska, such as fishing and the beautiful landscape, but left when he was only 9 years old. On one of their trips to visit his older brother Edward, who had set up his dental practice in San Francisco, CA, Joseph came home to find his mother had passed away from congestive heart failure. After losing his mother Joseph lived with several different relatives for a short time. Perhaps his most memorable and meaningful refuge was with Lucille Pilibos, one of his Armenian relatives in Fresno. He treasured her love and kindness to him, and throughout his life he shared stories of his time with her and how much love she showed him. The warmth of his extended Armenian Family in Turlock and Fresno was something he treasured throughout his life.

Upon graduating from a military boarding school in Northern California, Joseph attended UC Berkeley. As an undergraduate he excelled at theoretical physics, which earned him top secret clearance to work for the military at Lawrence Livermore Labs. One of his professors even mentioned Joseph's name in the dedication of a physics textbook. While at UC Berkeley he was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa and earned black and brown belts in Judo and Karate.

Joseph went on to medical school at UC San Francisco where he met his wife Teddy, who was a pediatric nurse working in the City. They were married at St. Agnes Catholic Church and later had three children Caroline, Joseph, and John. Both Teddy and Joe told stories of their courtship in San Francisco to their children and often took them to restaurants where Joe to Teddy went on their dates. As an adult Caroline lived and worked in San Francisco for several years and frequently ate at the restaurants that were so dear to her parents. San Francisco held a special place for Caroline since her father took her to the City once a year for a father/daughter weekend that involved attending a symphony, enjoying a fine meal at one of San Francisco's most prestigious restaurants, and picking out a gown out at I. Magnum with the same sales associate year after year.

After practicing as a general surgeon for a few years, Joseph took his young family to Texas where he attended a residency program for plastic surgery at UT San Antonio. Upon completion of the program Teddy and Joe moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area to set up his practice in Los Gatos, CA, and they remained in that area for the rest of their lives. As a plastic surgeon he specialized in facial reconstruction, especially for people who were disfigured due to motorcycle accidents and the like.

Throughout their lives Joe and Teddy spent nearly every Thanksgiving with his much older brother Ed and his wife Arlene who were like parents and mentors to Joe and Teddy. Together with their children Edward (Eddie) and Christine (Tina) they had incredible traditions and memories that meant the world to Joe. Joe and his brother talked nearly every day, and after Ed and Arlene passed away Joe made it a point to keep Eddie and Tina in his life.

Joseph was very proud that he could provide for his family and that Teddy could stay home to raise their children. He never missed a family dinner and made his family the center and priority of his life. He made sure that his children studied music and learned several sports all the while demanding good grades from them. Every year he took his family on two vacations, the beach at Pajaro Dunes and UC Berkeley's family camp which was in the mountains of Northern California. He also took his sons to Indian Guides and became a Chief of the Umunhum Tribe, a title he was very proud of. And, when his children were older Joseph attended law school at Santa Clara University with his nephew, Eddie, and earned his J.D. He, therefore, could proudly proclaim (and did so often!) that he was a doctor, lawyer, and Indian chief. He even made business cards to that effect.

Joseph treasured his wife's family as well offering to have his mother-in-law, Emma Law, move in with them after Teddy's father passed away. In the early years of their marriage visits with Teddy's parents, Emma and Russell, were a welcome blessing to the family home. His wife's sister and husband, Bod and Tessa McCray were very close to Joe after Teddy's passing and their phone calls and visits throughout the years meant the world to him. He was so grateful for their support and looked forward to their conversations and the time they shared together.

As anyone who lived an abundant life, there are so many things to say about Joseph Avakoff. Besides being a doctor and a lawyer he was a self taught classical pianist. His playing the music of Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Saint-Saëns was a constant in the Avakoff family home. Caroline and Joe Jr. even created dance numbers to some of the piano music their father played for them on the piano.

Aside from his love of playing piano and attending symphonies Joseph was an inventor of sorts. He created a device called "Poker Face" that helped people in the game of poker which was even sold at a store for a short time. He created his own medical kits and homemade maple syrup, both of which he marketed. He wrote his own recipe book, and he even wrote a novel.

One of the happiest creations of his life was the formation of a society called BALLS (Berry and Leave Lovers Society), whose members earned a certificate. They were dedicated to dry martinis, fine cigars, and intelligent conversations. While Joe was very conservative in his politics, which anyone who knew him learned fairly quickly, he remained unpretentious and non-judgmental befriending friends from all walks of life.

Joe was brilliant, unpretentious, genuine, outspoken, a non-conformist, intellectually curious, witty, and loved movies second only to his wife and family. After the death of his wife his son Joseph moved in to be his companion, an act for which he was truly grateful and which his whole family can never repay. Aside from his companionship with Joe Jr., Joe Sr. looked forward to his friends' weekly visits for cigars and good conversations. Joseph will be so terribly missed by his surviving children and countless friends and relatives who helped create a very blessed life, indeed. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, the soul of his wife Teddy, and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen