Dr. Govind Prasad Garg

Dr. Govind Prasad Garg was born June 10, 1938 in Nabinagar, a small village in the Augurabad district of Bihar, India. Govind was the oldest of nine children, a natural leader from the beginning. Despite facing obstacles such as congenital hearing loss and the British Raj, Govind was determined to chase his dreams and make a difference in the world.

He left home at 16 years-old to attend university in Benares, and then received his medical degree from the Prince of Wales Medical School in Patna. Govind found his passion in anesthesia with a specialty in pediatrics. In 1964, he immigrated to Montreal and started a four year residency at McGill University. In the summer of 1965, he met the love of his life, Jennifer Keeling, who had also just emigrated from her home in the United Kingdom.

After graduating from McGill, Govind was offered a post-graduate position at Boston Children’s Hospital, as part of the Harvard Medical program. In 1967, Govind moved to Cambridge to start his life in the United States. Jennifer soon joined him, also taking a job at Harvard doing computer programming. The couple married at Harvard Chapel in the spring of 1969. The same year, Govind started working at the Children’s Hospital in Detroit, and his first daughter Nishima was born.

The family then made their first move to Texas, where Govind organized the Anesthesia Department at Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi. After two years, Govind missed academia and got a job at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, continuing to practice pediatric anesthesia and running the Respiratory Therapy Department. His second daughter, Sheena, was born at Vanderbilt in 1972.

Govind decided on another change and took a position in the Anesthesia Department at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio. In San Antonio, he finally felt at home, and settled there for the rest of his life. He trained generations of anesthesiologists in the city, many of whom later cared for his wife, children, and grandchildren. He loved teaching, research, and published many academic papers over the years before eventually moving into private practice, working primarily out of Santa Rosa Hospital downtown and Star Anesthesia.

Never satisfied, Govind embarked on an innovative project of developing the first free-standing outpatient surgical center in the region Southwest Ambulatory Surgical Center on Ewing Halsell Drive. In doing so he overcame many challenges, and the center was a great success, inspiring the creation of many similar centers. The center was eventually sold to a national company. Govind was involved in many other business endeavors including an Indian restaurant, a dress boutique operated by Jennifer, and an automobile dealership.

Govind continued his medical career, attending conferences and volunteering on medical missions to Mexico, Vietnam, the Philippines, Peru, Ecuador, and India. Govind retired from private practice after moving into his dream home in 2000. His desire to save lives continued, and he did locum tenens work in various cities in Texas, as well as at Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock. He continued his volunteer and locum work until officially retiring in 2003, having practiced medicine for 40 years.

Govind was a passionate world traveller throughout his life, and enjoyed many incredible trips to Alaska, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Greece, Italy, France, the Netherlands, China, Brazil, Denmark, Egypt, Singapore, Indonesia, Chile, Argentina, Panama, and Papua New Guinea, to name a few. He made friends everywhere he went. He loved to photograph the landscapes and the local people he encountered on his travels. His commitment extended to opening a local gallery and building an in-home photography darkroom, with a focus on large-scale, colorful Cibachrome prints. His beautiful photos are immortalized on the walls of the homes and offices of friends and family all over the globe.

After fully retiring, Govind and Jennifer focused their lives on their daughters and grandchildren. They split their time between San Antonio and Asheville, NC, where Nishima’s family resided before moving to Texas. They hosted holidays, birthdays, graduations, and many international visitors at their home over the years.

In 2021, Govind was diagnosed with hydrocephalus. He was cared for by the same doctors he had worked with for years and had a life saving shunt put in October 2022.

At 88 years-old, Govind passed away peacefully at University Hospital in San Antonio on October 20th, with his daughters by his side.

Govind is survived by his wife Jennifer, his daughters Nishima and Sheena and her husband Matthew Edwards, his six grandchildren: Saffron, Emily, Elizabeth, Bindi, Vincent, and Jamie, and his siblings: Rukmini, Gyatri, Padma, Arun, and Sukun. He also leaves behind many beloved nieces, nephews, cousins, and extended family across the globe. He is preceded in death by his parents Shri Ram Lakhan Prasad Garg and Bhagmati Devi, his brothers Murali and Mukund, and his sister Geeta.

In lieu of a public memorial service we ask that you consider donating to the Hydrocephalus Association, raising a toast of tequila or red wine in his name, or listening to a great jazz record.

Tribute by Emily Edwards

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