Obituary of Amjad Rashid

Dr. Amjad Rashid passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 7, 2024 in the comfort of his own home with his family by his side.

He was born in Lahore, Pakistan on February 12,1940.  Auspiciously, on the same day across the globe in England Gordon and Ida Grainger were married.  Their daughter Susan went on to become his wife. Amjad and Susan were married on June 24, 1965.  They had a long and loving lifetime together.  Susan passed in October 2022, leaving heartache and a void that he never recovered from. 

He was a graduate of King Edward Medical College in Lahore and went to England for residency in 1964, where he met Susan and they married in June 1965.  After completing his surgical residency, he and Susan and their 2 young daughters then moved to the United States in January 1970 arriving in Baltimore, MD.  He repeated his surgical residencies, moving between Baltimore, Charleston and Columbia, SC before settling in Rome, NY.  Rome quickly became home to Amjad and he took great pride in caring for the community as well as raising his family here. He retired from his career as a vascular, thoracic, and general surgeon after 33 years in 2010.  After retiring he spent the next 8 years volunteering at a clinic in Syracuse.

Upon arriving in Rome in July of 1978, he and Susan quickly discovered Old Forge and the Adirondacks where they would enjoy spending time for the rest of their lives.  They shared a love of hiking, biking and the outdoors, a love that they would pass on to their children and then to their grandchildren.  

The absolute greatest joy of his life were his grandchildren.  He loved spending time with each and every one of them.  The trips to Isle of Palms, SC with Noah and Meghann were some of his greatest memories.  He also spoke often of the hikes, adventures and long chats he had with Alexander, Molly and Virginia as well as the trips to Clemson, SC to see Liam and Rowan. More recently, he enjoyed countless walks in the Beeches & day trips to Old Forge with his youngest grandson, Jonah. Having seen all the other grandchildren grow up, he often stated over the past year that he was fighting so hard to get better for Jonah, to be able to see him grow up.  He referred to Jonah as “his little buddy” and “the apple of his eye”.

He loved all sports.  Amjad especially loved watching his grandchildren play throughout the years, always insisting they were the best player on the team and making sure everyone around him knew who he was there to watch.  He was a huge Lebron James fan and loved the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also an avid Buffalo Bills fan, watching every game in full Bills attire. 

Amjad had a great love for music, with classical and music from the 1960’s being his favorite genres.   He found solace during the last days of his life listening to music with his family and conducting to the music with his hand. 

Amjad is survived by his children, Zarina Smith (Vince Forester), Kit Rashid, Nadia Rashid (Jerry Howard) and Tony Rashid, his grandchildren, Alexander and Meghann Smith, Noah Rodriguez, Molly and Virginia Forester, Jonah Howard and Rowan and Liam Desjardins. He also leaves his siblings and many nieces, nephews, and cousins throughout the world.

He was predeceased by his wife Susan, his parents Dr. Abdul Rashid and Razia Begum and his in-laws, Gordon and Ida Grainger.

The family would like to thank Dr. Brehaut of MVHS for his excellent care at the onset of Amjads illness and Dr. Attilio of Rome Health who went above and beyond while caring for Amjad.  The family also would like to thank Donna Leonard, Kelsey Schoen and Kory Buckley all of Nascentia Health for their care and support. Kory was a source of inspiration for Amjad and someone who became a friend. He worked so hard with him to help him walk again, a feat Amjad was able to conquer, bringing him to tears each time. And finally, Rachell Whiting, who instantly became family and cared for Amjad with love and respect beyond measure. There are not enough ways to thank her for what she did for him and his family these past 6 months. 

Family and friends are invited to call at Nunn and Harper Funeral Home, Inc., 418 N. George St., Rome NY 13440, on Thursday, April 11^th from 4-7:00 p.m. Islamic funeral services will be held on Tuesday, April 9^th, at 1:30 p.m. at Utica Masjid, 1631 Kemble St., Utica, NY 13501. Private graveside services will be held at the Bosnian Islamic Cemetery in Utica, NY. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Dr. Rashid's memory to the Nascentia Health Physical and Occupational Therapy Department. 

You may view the obituary and send a message of sympathy at www.nunnandharper.com.