Mohammad Akrom Bhatti

Mohammad Akram Bhatti, a resident of Crofton, Maryland, passed away on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at Johns Hopkins Neurosciences Critical Care Unit. Born in Nabah, British India, his family migrated northward during historical Partition to settle in Punjab Province in present-day Pakistan. Tragically, his father Mehdi Hassan lost his life while helping other families migrate north. Akram spent his childhood years in Rahim-Yar-Khan, in the home of his paternal grandfather, Mohammad Hassan. After graduating from Islamia College in Lahore, Pakistan, he worked briefly for Lever Brothers in Karachi, Pakistan. In 1969, with only pocket money, Akram immigrated to the United States to continue his studies in Miami, Florida. There, he met his wife, Maryam (Mary) Wilchcombe, a student from the Bahamas. They married in 1971 and settled in Nassau, Bahamas. Akram became a teacher at Mary’s old school, the Government High School (GHS), where he befriended many of her former teachers and classmates who had returned to teach. In Akram’s ten years as an educator, he touched the lives of many of the talented, young GHS students. In fact, wherever he lived and worked he was well respected by his peers, made many friends, and upheld his principles and deep faith in Islam. In 1983 Akram and Mary started a small business in Nassau called Island Collections, selling souvenirs and jewelry to tourists and locals. Eventually, he left the teaching profession to focus on the family business full time. In 1990 Akram relocated his family to Maryland where he transitioned the family business into a gas station/convenience store. From this, he worked tirelessly for 20 years to provide for his family and put his five children through college. The core values Akram instilled in his children were exemplary, paving the way for them to accomplish more than their peers and contribute likewise to family and society. Proud father and grandfather, devoted husband and provider, dedicated friend, Akram will be truly missed by his wife Maryam, children Hamid Khan (Nicole Fair), Sameer Akram (Dr. Tricia Renee); Kamal Hassan, Amina Rabihah, and Tariq Mehdi; three grandchildren Callum Alexander, Elias Hassan, and Saadiya Renee; two sisters Asifa Tabassum-Pervez and Azara Bhatti; and a host of relatives and friends in Maryland and Florida USA; Nassau Bahamas; Chistian, Lahore and Jhelum, Pakistan; Birmingham, England; and Vancouver, B.C. Canada. Janaza prayers were held in Baltimore, Maryland at Masjid al-Rahmah on Thursday, November 10, 2011, followed by an Islamic burial by his sons at King Memorial Cemetery. Concurrent Janaza prayers and Quranic recitations were also held in Nassau by the Jamaat-ul-Islam, and by his family in Jhelum, Pakistan. In lieu of flowers, the family will humbly accept donations to: The Makkah Learning Center 814 Brandy Farms Lane Gambrills, Maryland 21054 Attn.: Building Funds Manager Or, to support *Dr. Michael Lim’s research *in Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, checks can be made payable to *Johns Hopkins *and mailed to: Rhonda Holden The Fund for Johns Hopkins Medicine One Charles Center 100 N. Charles St. Suite 429 Baltimore, MD 21201 or on-line at www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neurology_neurosurgery/ make_gift.html

Tributes

Mohammad Akrom Bhatti

August 3, 1943 - November 8, 2011