Lennart Fagraeus, MD PhD

Lennart Fagraeus MD PhD passed away very suddenly on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 after a long battle with dementia. He was Chairman of the Anesthesia Department at Christiana Care Health System from 1987 until his retirement in 2006. This position was the final highlight of a life lived richly in adventures, hard work, friendships and family.

He was born November 30, 1938 in Stockholm, Sweden to lawyer Sven Gustaf Fagraeus and Vera Ellen Fagraeus, née Holmen. He was the oldest child, followed by his brother Hans (1941-2012) and sister Ulla. 

Always very adventurous, he decided to see the world at the age of 15 and did so on a Swedish merchant vessel. He went on to graduate from medical school at the Karolinska Institute, became an officer in the Swedish navy, and led a very active social life. He was engaged to Lill Lindfors, a legendary Swedish singer, before he met the love of his life Elisabet Hellstrand whom he married on July 2, 1965 after a short courtship. His daughters Charlotte ( born in 1967) and Louise ( born in 1969) came along in short order. Ever multitalented, he still managed to be the doctor of the Swedish Olympic ice hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France in 1968.

As his family grew, his career led him to a PhD in Exercise Physiology,  based on his research on the effects of deep ocean pressures on the human body. This led to him testing the first submersible vehicle in Jacques Cousteau‘s pool and also a fateful invitation to a year-long research project at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. 

Once in the United States, he quickly grew to love the country and it’s spirit. Thus he quickly accepted when asked to become a resident in the Duke University Department of Anesthesia led by Dr. Merel Harmel, his life-long mentor. He went on to be an associate professor at Duke University Medical School before continuing to a chairmanship in Anesthesia at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1982. After 5 years in Oklahoma, he went on to his final position as Chairman of Anesthesiology at Christiana Care Health System. Besides his academic leadership, he also continually added to anesthesia research which is evident in the textbooks of medical students everywhere. 

In his personal life, he and Elisabet traveled the world, from the North Pole on a Russian icebreaker to the Great Wall of China, from riding on the Orient Express to deep sea fishing in Costa Rica. Along the way they made many friends who now join in mourning his passing. 

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Elisabet in May, 2009. He is survived by his loving daughters Charlotte and Louise, son-in-law Leroy Bryant II, his dear companion Jean Simpson, and grandchildren Emma Fagraeus-Bryant, Catrine Fagraeus and Cristian Fagraeus. In Sweden he is survived by his sister Ulla Tengelin, her husband Bo and a large circle of family and friends.

There will be a memorial service at 12:00PM on Monday, September 16, 2019 at Old Swedes Church, 606 N. Church Street, Wilmington, Delaware. Interment will be private. 

In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice in his honor. 
 

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