Obituary of Dr. Bernardo Gaviria

Slingerlands, NY- Dr. Bernardo Gaviria died on January 29, 2016, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. Bernardo (Bernie) was born October 5, 1930, in Bogotá, Colombia, to Bernardo Gaviria and Tulia Piñeros Gaviria. He was the eldest of five children. He graduated with a medical degree from Javeriana University and immigrated to the United States in 1957. He completed post-doctoral studies in neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, a psychiatry residency at the University of Colorado in Denver, and a research fellowship at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas. He held the position of staff physician at the Colorado Institute of Mental Health at Fort Logan, Colorado, before moving to Albany, NY, where he led an active private practice in psychiatry for more than 30 years. In addition, he served as a consulting psychiatrist at Unified Services of Rensselaer County and taught at the Albany Medical College. He was a dedicated physician, loving husband, and devoted father and grandfather. He loved classical music and enjoyed playing the oboe in chamber music groups. He possessed a brilliant and curious mind, and had a lifelong interest in science and literature. He loved to travel and mastered several languages throughout his life. His enthusiasm for learning, mischievous sense of humor, and wise counsel will be deeply missed by his family and friends. He is survived by Marilyn (Gamwell), his wife of 55 years; daughters Diana (Jon), Patricia (Bill), and Julia (Josh); grandchildren Sean and Daniel Pike, Roan and Alex Canny, and Leo and Silvia Ellsworth; sister Martha de Gomez; and many nieces and nephews. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org) or the Albany Symphony (albanysymphony.com).