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Community Corner

Family, Friends Say Final Goodbye to Rossmoor Surgeon

About 300 people attend a memorial for Dr. Jack Chen, a partner at Orthopaedic Specialty Institute, at a service in Seal Beach this week.

Hundreds attended a memorial service in Seal Beach Thursday for a Rossmoor surgeon who touched thousands of lives.

A partner with the Orthopaedic Specialty Institute in Orange, Dr. Jack Chen drowned March 22 while surfing during a trip to El Salvador, the Orange County Register reports.

A Rossmoor resident, the 39-year-old Chen leaves behind his wife Dr. Joni Doherty and their sons, Nicholas, 10, and Andrew, 9.

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"We were all lucky to have him in our lives," said Dr. Neil Butani, who attended medical school with Chen at the University of Southern California, quoted by the newspaper. "Now heaven is lucky to have him up there."

The Institute's website included the following message of condolences about Chen's passing:

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It is with great sorrow and regret that the OSI partnership recognizes the passing of Dr. Jack Chen. Dr. Chen was a gifted spinal surgeon who was a partner in our medical group and a close friend to all of us. He was very active in the local Orthopedic community and treated all of his patients with utmost respect and caring, as if each were a member of his own family.

We honor Jack’s zest for life and offer sincere condolences to his wife and two children. All of us at OSI will miss him greatly.

Click here to read the full story.

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