Gethsemane Artiaga

Gethsemane D. Artiaga, M.D., of Barrington, Illinois, passed away on Saturday, February 2, 2013 at home.

She was born on February 10, 1927 to Mr. & Mrs. Crispulo Dimalanta in Manila, Philippines.

Gethsemane wrote “Even before I graduated from high school, my mother had already decided that she wanted me to be a doctor, although I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. Because I didn’t want to disappoint my mother, I followed her wishes to make her happy.” So in 1952, Gethsemane graduated with a degree of Doctor of Medicine from the University of the Philippines, College of Medicine. She left immediately for the United States for further training and specialization. She trained in Internal Medicine at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and in Hematology, where she served a fellowship for two years. Gethsemane also took post-graduate courses at the University of Michigan, College of Medicine in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After passing the Board of Medicine in Chicago, she joined a medical group practice, comprised mostly of American medical graduates and a few foreign graduates. She felt very lucky and honored to be part of this particular institution and cherished the rewarding experience she gained during her tenure. She was a member of the institution until her retirement on January 1, 2001. Gethsemane was the Attending Internist and Hematologist at three hospitals in Chicago: Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center, Grand Hospital Medical Center and Illinois Masonic Medical Center. At Gethsemane’s retirement dinner party given by her colleagues from the institution, she was presented a plaque in recognition of her outstanding services to the field and her care of its patients by the staff and trustees. She felt so humbled by the presentation and thus considered this act of gratitude by her colleagues to be an accomplishment of one of her main goals in life.

Gethsemane’s main goal in life was her family. She had a wonderful, caring and devoted husband of 54 years, and two loving, talented, God fearing children, daughter Cecilia and son Louis, busy with his chosen professions and her two lovable grandchildren, Amanda 14 and Alexander (Alex) 13. By the grace of God, Gethsemane’s unspoken prayers were answered and she considered herself among all men most richly blessed and she thanks God for it. Her family was her whole life and she knows that love will last forever.

Visitation will be held from 4-9 p.m., Tuesday, February 5, 2013, at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 149 W. Main Street, Barrington Il, 60010. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, February 6, 2013, at St. Theresa Catholic Church, 455 N. Benton Street, Palatine IL 60067, with visitation held one hour prior to mass at church. Entombment will be held at All Saints Catholic Cemetery, Des Plaines.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Hospice Foundation of Northeastern Illinois, 405 Lake Zurich Road, Barrington, IL 60010, www.hospiceanswers.org.

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