Filomena Farooki

Dr. Filomena Rasay Farooki, “Nena,” aged 93 years, passed away peacefully on May 4, 2024, in Upper Arlington, OH. Born at the heart of “Pearl of The Orient” The Philippines on February 7, 1931, Dr. Farooki led a life in pursuit of helping others, and later went on to obtain her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Santo Tomas. She completed her pediatric internship in Schenectady, NY, and residency at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit. She worked in Guam for a year and Saipan while awaiting US citizenship. When she was Chief Resident she met her future husband, Dr. Zia Farooki, a then intern. They had one daughter, Shella. Dr. Farooki practiced pediatrics in the private practice outpatient setting for decades in the suburbs of Detroit before retiring and moving to Dublin, Ohio to reside with family. She was a pediatrician at heart and always found the time to answer a question or solve a problem, no matter how small. She had a habit of sending care packages to her nieces and nephews in the Philippines, visiting them whenever her schedule allowed it. She went on many photography trips with her husband including the Galapagos Islands and Alaska, but her favorite place was Hawaii. Her grandchildren fondly remember baking and cooking with her, from making Pho to Chicken Adobo and Halo-Halo (a Filipino shave ice delicacy). She always strove to keep her mind sharp with puzzles, crosswords, books, and especially writing including the dozens of unpublished stories filled with her talent and creativity. One of her most memorable attributes was her storytelling and ability to captivate and educate others while making them laugh. Growing up in an occupied city upon the outbreak of World War II, Dr. Farooki had numerous stories and experiences in which she recounted with everyone she met in her life, hoping to spread important lessons, one of those being her belief in the good of humanity. Dr. Farooki was the true embodiment of what it means to be “one of a kind.” Her unrelenting fervor, ambition, wisdom, humility, and effortless humor led her to be nicknamed by those who knew her well as the “Tigress of Malaya.” We would like to thank Dr. Lisa Horn and Dr. Elizabeth Rave for exceptional medical care as well as The Coventry Assisted Living and Capital City Hospice. She is preceded in death by her parents, Alfredo and Petra Rasay, her sister Letty and brother Cenon. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Zia Farooki, a daughter, Dr. Shella Farooki, her son-in-law, Dr. James Homsy, granddaughters Alyssa and Sasha Homsy, nieces Ludy, Lily, Lucie, Leila, Lorna, Lyn, and Grace, nephews Rene, Roland, and Alfred, grand dogs Olivia and Phoebe, as well as grand kitten Bokki. We miss you, Nena. We know you are on a beach somewhere enjoying Halo-Halo. Funeral Services will be held at St. Brigid of Kildare at 7179 Avery Rd, Dublin, OH 43017 on May 20, 2024 at 11:00 am. Burial will immediately follow at Union Cemetery, 3349 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43202. To share memories or condolences, please visit www.schoedinger.com. Funeral arrangements entrusted to SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST.