Mohsin Ijaz's Obituary
Mohsin Ijaz, age 92, entered into eternal rest on April 2, 2016. Loving father of Jonathan (Nancy), Moses (Steven), Rose Ijaz (David), and David (Sara); cherished grandfather of Scott and Kailum Ijaz, Miranda, Isabel and Alexandra Bridgeland, Jennifer and Alice Nelson and dear friend to many.
Born into a Christian family in the time of British Colonial India, Mohsin, the youngest of ten children, was raised in Martenpur, a small farming village outside of the City of Lahore. At an early age, he showed a great capacity for learning and was educated at a boarding school. He attended Gordon College where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. He was actively involved in the Congress Party working for independence from Britain. After the partition in 1947, his family remained in the Lahore area in what had become Pakistan. He received a Master’s in Chemistry at the University of Punjab. Mohsin was also quite athletic and he played on the Pakistan National basketball team. He taught Chemistry at Forman Christian College in Lahore.
He married Joyce Singh in 1953 and his oldest three children were born. Mohsin immigrated alone to the United States in 1958 to obtain his Doctorate in Clinical Biochemistry from Washington State University. To earn monies to bring his wife and children out of Pakistan while he was at WSU, he learned to drive in order to take a job as a chemist in a paper mill in Moscow Idaho. With the help of members of the U.S. State Department and support from several U.S. Senators, including Patrick Moynihan, he was able to bring his family first to Vancouver Canada and then to the United States in 1964 where is fourth child, David, was born. He retired as a Clinical Biochemist after 50 years of service.
Fifteen years ago, Mohsin came to live with his son Jonathan’s family in Strongsville. He loved to spend time preparing Indian food for the family and most especially for his grandchildren and their friends who came to call him “Grandpa” and enjoyed his many delicious dishes and sense of humor. He shared his love of Indian movies and his knowledge of Indian music and dance with his grandchildren. He loved to listen to Gabriel's Oboe (the theme of The Mission) and traditional Indian ghazals music whose themes of love and romance he translated and explained to his grandchildren. Most importantly, Mohsin spoke often of the value of education, hard work and life-long learning. During this time, he provided financial support for the university studies of a number of relatives in Pakistan. He kept his mind razor sharp by ordering and reviewing college-level textbooks on pharmacology, chemistry, and English grammar. Also, he was an avid (and educated) fan of NBA basketball and professional tennis. He particularly liked the Cleveland Cavaliers and never gave up on LeBron. He was very grateful for the loving care he received in the last months of his life at the Altenheim nursing home.
VISITATION will be held Thursday from 4-8 PM at JARDINE FUNERAL HOME, 15822 Pearl Road, Strongsville 44136; where a SERVICE will be held Friday April 8, 2016 at 10 AM. Interment Private. In Lieu of Flowers memorial contributions are suggested to the Altenheim Assisted Living Center, 18627 Shurmer Road, Strongsville 44136, email: [email protected].
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