Dr. Sam T. Hamra

Dr. Sam T. Hamra
Obituary
Dr. Sam T. Hamra (Sameer Towfeek Hamra) passed away peacefully in his home on Lakeside Drive on Wednesday October 1st at the age of 88. He was born on July 16th, 1937 in Ponca City, Oklahoma to Towfeek Abusamra Hamra, a Lebanese immigrant, and Adeline Homra Hamra of Fulton, Kentucky.
Sam grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma alongside his older sister and lifelong teammate Sameera Hamra Murad with whom he shared an extraordinary bond. Together they lived a charmed childhood as products of the American Dream, constantly surrounded by countless relatives and loved ones and strongly shaped by the immigrant values of their parents. Sam's father was his hero, and he always credited him for instilling his unwavering dedication to family, his commitment to hard work, his sense of duty to act with integrity and take care of others, his passion for living life to its fullest, and his endless love of people. Blessed with a brilliant mind, fearless determination, and captivating charm, he thrived in school and was destined to leave his small town and achieve great things.
After graduating from Lawton High School in 1955, he went on to the University of Oklahoma where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta and President of his senior class. He graduated in 1959 with a Bachelor's degree in History but stayed at his beloved OU for the next nine years to complete Medical School, his Residency, and his General Surgery Residency with one year abroad for a Fellowship in Lausanne, Switzerland. After that he enlisted in the United States Air Force as a doctor, serving as a Major in California, Libya, and Wichita, Kansas. He followed that up with three years of Plastic Surgery Residency at NYU, training under legendary surgeon and mentor Dr. John Converse. It was during this time that he met the woman of his dreams – a beautiful and gifted jewelry designer for Tiffany & Co. named Sonia Amal Younis, also of Lebanese descent. They were married on April 14, 1973 in Kingston, Jamaica where she was born and grew up. After that, they moved to Dallas, Texas where he would build his two most treasured achievements: his practice and his family.
Sam joined Dr. Mark Lemmon's practice in 1973 before venturing out on his own in 1981. As a surgeon, Dr. Hamra was gifted with unmatched technical skill, endless charm, and a genuinely assuring bedside manner. Driven by his commitment to taking care of people and his determination to achieve the best possible results for his patients, he set out to not only to master his trade but take it to greater heights. Starting in the 1980s, he began publishing papers and quickly established himself as a new pioneer in the world of aesthetic plastic surgery. Crediting the greats who came before him, he completely reimagined the approach for how to achieve beauty and youth, changing how generations of surgeons viewed facial rejuvenation. He is credited with inventing the "Deep Plane" facelift in his 1990 paper, which has become a landmark contribution to this day. Soon after, he described the groundbreaking "Septal Reset" where for the rst time eyelid fat was not taken out but repositioned to restore a natural youthful look. In 1992 he published the"Composite Rhytidectomy" where the neck muscle, the cheek fat, and the orbit were all lifted as one unit. This technique created a new gold standard for restoring facial harmony as is dictated by nature. Throughout his incredible career, his door was always open, and he acted as a mentor to countless young surgeons, welcoming them to observe in the operating room. He also lectured all over the world, teaching his techniques and encouraging all surgeons to constantly improve on traditional procedures. He truly loved what he did, and because of that said he never worked a day in his life. He retired and closed his practice in 2019 at the age of 81. His contributions to the eld of aesthetic plastic surgery are so heralded that in 2020, the Aesthetic Surgery Journal recognized the 50 most cited articles in facial aesthetic plastic surgery, and among them all, his were referenced more than any other single surgeon, solidifying him as one of the greatest contributors to eld of plastic surgery of the face in the last century.
Despite his extraordinary career, what always meant most to him was his family. He was intensely proud of his father's story and legacy, and he was committed to passing on the same values with which he was raised. He did so throughout his life as a dedicated son, brother, cousin, nephew, and uncle, but it was only after marrying Sonia that he was able to add the two roles he cherished most: husband and father. His devotion to his sons Andrew and Taylor was endless and powerful, and he once wrote to Sonia that their two boys completed the love story of their lives. To his sons, Sam was larger-than-life – towering, strong, and protective. A worthy patriarch, his love and support were unconditional. He encouraged their passions, told them to chase their dreams, and insisted they take advantage of every opportunity life had to offer. He took them around the world, exposed them to different cultures, and preached his love of life. But his most meaningful lessons were taught by setting an example – how to treat people with respect, take care of others, work hard, have fun, and do what you love. And no matter what his work or social obligations were, he was always home every weekday night at 7pm to sit down and have dinner with them. At the age of 80, Sam added one last accolade to his long list: grandfather. Known as "Jiddo" by his grandsons Wyatt and Quinn, he cherished this role and treasured his time with them. In his nal days, it was hearing about them that brought him the most joy.
To anyone who knew him, Sam Hamra was one-of-a-kind. A force. He had an active mind – constantly seeking, reading, and learning. He walked fast, talked fast, and loved to drive fast. He was dapper and elegant, armed with a divine sense of style. He was ercely honest, direct, and had little tolerance for nonsense. Always informed and convicted to his beliefs, he never shied away from active debate. He was an outlier, a renegade. He was generous, loyal, and he knew the value of true friendship. The man just loved to eat and drink and dance and talk. He had an unquenchable thirst for social interactions and was either out on the town with his glamorous Sonia on his arm or hosting vibrant dinner parties in their home but if ever a call came in and someone needed help, he was immediately available. At the behest of his wife, he became a dedicated patron of the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony, and DMA. He was proud of his origins, acting as a benefactor to Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oklahoma, and he always maintained a strong
connection to his Lebanese heritage alongside his deep love and gratitude for America. Lastly, as a native of Oklahoma, he relished the simple pleasures of small-town life and bled Sooner red until the day he passed.
All this said, there was one thing that shined the brightest in his life and was closest to his heart, and that was his beloved Sonia. As the story goes, he knew the moment he saw her that he was destined to marry her, then he pursued her with the same relentless conviction he did everything else in his life. For the next 52 years, their love affair prevailed and was known by all, as he simply never wanted to be without her by his side. As one dear friend said, "When you saw Sam, you saw Sonia." They traveled the world together, holding hands until his very last day. She was his greatest love, his one and only, his "Kitty." In his own words: She was the one who made his life so incredibly perfect.
Sam is survived by his wife Sonia Hamra, his sons Andrew Hamra and Taylor Hamra, his grandsons Wyatt Hamra and Quinn Hamra, his sister Sameera Hamra Murad, as well as many wonderful cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He was predeceased by his father T. A. Hamra, his mother Adeline Hamra, his aunt Sha ca Hamra, his nephew Stephen Massad, and his brother-in-law Dr. John Murad.
The family would like to acknowledge the Highland Park Police Department for their immediate assistance and his caretaker Adenike King who was with him when he passed.
In lieu of owers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made in support of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma at: https://give.oufoundation.org/HamraMemorial. Checks made payable to the "OU Foundation" can also be mailed to The University of Oklahoma Foundation, P.O. Box 258856, Oklahoma City, OK 73125-8856. Please include Dr. Hamra's name with your gift.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, Texas at 1:00 PM on Thursday, November 13th, 2025.