Paul Qaqundah

1933 ~ 2020

QAQUNDAH, PAUL (BOULOS.) YOUSEF Beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle & compassionate physician passed peacefully Sept 10, 2020, surrounded by three generations of loved ones.

Paul was the second of seven children, born February 26, 1933, in Ramleh, Palestine to Yousef & Thuraya Qaqundah. He graduated from Al-Ahliyyah High School in Ramallah in 1952 as valedictorian of his class and earned a United Nations university scholarship. In 1960, he graduated from Ain Shams University, School of Medicine in Cairo, and served two years in the Jordanian Army. While there, he was the on-set physician for the movie Lawrence of Arabia while they filmed in Wadi Rum, Jordan.

When he completed his army service, he started his pediatric training at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, England where he earned his Royal Diplomate of Child Health, University of London. In 1965, Paul met his love, Susan Suad Salib in Beirut, Lebanon, and married in October 1966. The couple moved to California in January 1967, where Paul started his Pediatrics Fellowship at UC Irvine, attaining his American Board of Pediatrics Diplomate then completed a Fellowship in Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology. In 1971, he joined Pediatric Care Medical Group in Huntington Beach, CA. He practiced pediatrics and allergy for 46 years. He served as Chairman of the Pediatric Dept. at Hoag and Fountain Valley Hospitals. He never turned away patients for financial reasons. A testament to his passion for pediatrics, he treated the grandchildren of many of his original patients before reluctantly retiring at the age of 84.

He was an accomplished doctor, researcher, diagnostician and Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at UCI who truly loved his patients, and his patients loved him. In spite of a very busy practice, Paul was involved with several organizations advocating for the health of children including OC American Academy of Pediatrics as Founding President and the California Society of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology. He started the Breath Mobile Van to treat asthmatic children in Santa Ana, which later expanded to other cities, for which he was awarded a State of CA “Hero Award”. He adopted Oak View School to treat children for more than 20 years. As a delegate to the CA Medical Association, he drafted many resolutions pushing for measures to promote the health of children, such as “Gun Safety for Children – Trigger Gun Law,” “Universal Newborn Hearing Screening,” “Nebulizer Treatment in Schools,” “Bicycle Helmet” & others. Paul’s greatest pride was his family.

He leaves behind his wife of 54 years Susan, five children [John (Regan), Joyce (Steve), Jenny, Michelle (Bruce), and Jimmy (Annie)]; nine grandchildren (Zoe, Yasmin, Alex, Chloe, Julia, Paul Jackson, Raffaello Boulos, Elias, and Soraya); and an entire community who love him dearly. Paul lived his motto: work hard, play hard, live to the fullest, love deeply and find ways to give back to the community.

Paul was inspired and an inspiration, truly larger than life. Sage counsel for countless and the life of the party, Dr. Paul will be missed by many.