Condolence: I too had the honor of working with Dr Khawam in the NICU. He brought a special peacefulness to the nursery just by his presence. Dr. Khawam will now continue his work from Heaven being a Guardian Angel to all the baby's in the NICU just like he did here on earth....Job well done!!!

Condolence: A kinder, gentler man the world has not known. I had the privilege of working with Dr. Khawam for 27 years in NIM/NICU. He inspired everyone who witnessed his compassion and quiet wisdom to step up to those ideals--though few could match him. We felt the loss of his presence when he retired, and now grieve the loss of him in this world. My heartfelt condolences to his beloved family. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers as he will in our memories.

Condolence: Dr. Jean Khawam was a wonderful neonatologist and family man. He worked many years saving little babies lives. He was part of a very special team at Butterworth and Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. I greatly respected Jean. He was a quiet and gentle soul who took great pride in his profession and family. I am shocked at his early passing. It is not fair after all of the lives he saved. We will miss him greatly. I always think of him and Dr. Radecki and Dr. Shaw when I am in the NICU. My condolences go out to Souhair and family. I am so sorry for your loss. Brian Roelof

Condolence: We just heard of Jean's passing. We are blessed to have known him and honored to call him our friend. His gentleness and kindness will always be remembered. Love, Nick and Pat Kokx

Condolence: My heartfelt sympathy to you. Dr.Khawam was not only a wonderful doctor, but one of the kindest men I have ever known. I had the honor of working with him for years in the NICU. I am so sorry this sweet man had to leave this earth so soon. He touched the life of every nurse, doctor, patient, and parent he met.

Condolence: I first got to know Jean when he consulted with me in the defense of several neonatal malpractice cases. We then got to know Jean and Souhair and family through dinners at our homes. What a beautiful human being and family. We extend our sincere condolences to Souhair and family and pray the wonderful memory of Jean and their deep religious faith brings them peace and comfort.

Condolence: Dr Khawam, I am so sorry to hear of your dads passing. You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Condolence: I thought it was a sad day when Dr. Khawam retired and moved so far away from all of us here in Michigan. Now I know that it is that saddest day because we will never see him again. I worked with him for over 20 years and enjoyed every minute of it. He was loved by so many and will be missed by all who knew him. He surely touched the lives of many people. My prayer for his family is that God grant you love and Peace during this most difficult time.

Condolence: My heart broke when I heard of Dr.Khawam's passing. I had the privilege and honor of working with him for many years in the NICU. I remembered when he first came, that soft spoken word, his gentle smile. He helped to make me the nurse I am today and I will miss him. My prayers to his family, he was and will always be a great man.

Condolence: My deepest condolences to Souhair, Souha, Nana and John. Jean was a kind and thoughtful man, gentle with a sense of humor. I remember our dinner togethers and the lively conversations. I learned a lot about others from both Jean and Souhair. Carrie and I were remembering the old days and talked about Jean and the family. My prayers are with all of you. God Bless.

Condolence: It was truly an honor to have known and worked many years with Dr Khawam. I have many fond memories of working with him. I especially remember Dr Khawam telling me a joke, very quietly, and then turning around and sharing it with the other nurses working that night. Dr Khawam, you will be missed by many. Dennis

Condolence: Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. May memories of Jean and the love of family surround you and give you strength in the days ahead

Condolence: I am so saddened to hear of loss of this wonderful man and gifted physician. I first met Dr. Khawam when he cared for my daughter in the NICU. He was a calming and reassuring presence for two very frightened parents. A few years later I had the privilege of working with him in a follow-up clinic for NICU babies that brought this service to the city where they lived, increasing the access families had to these services. The model he helped develop still exists and has expanded benefitting so many parents and children. My respect and admiration for him only grew as I worked with him and watched him guide and comfort parents and care for their babies. Watching him with these little ones always made me smile - it was so evident how much he enjoyed and cared about these babies. My condolences to his family and especially for his grandchildren who I am sure were the joy of his retirement.

Condolence: Although I left Butterworth Hospital in 1999 to take an academic position in New Jersey, I worked with Dr. Khawam at Butterworth Hospital's NICU in the late 1980s-1990s, when I served as a medical social worker. I am honored to have had the privilege to work beside him. Dr. Khawam demonstrated a true interdisciplinary/interprofessional team approach. I always felt valued and respected for my psychosocial expertise and contribution to the NICU team. And, I admired his ability to consistently show compassion and kindness to families undergoing significant anguish. Thank you for the opportunity to witness your hope, wisdom and gentle strength in a work environment filled with crisis/stress/death. Prayers to the family.

Condolence: I had the honor and pleasure of working for Jean for 21 years. He was such a kind and gentle man. I will miss him dearly.

Condolence: Such sad news to hear of Dr. Khawam's passing. As a former NICU nurse, I have many fond memories of working with him. Dr. Khawam was kind, compassionate, soft spoken and wise, a dedicated physician, supportive to families and to those he worked with. My prayers and sympathy to his family. Memory Eternal!

Condolence: We were all so sorry to hear about Jean. There is no way to express the impact he has had in the lives of families and nurses. I had the honor or working many night shifts with him, first as a new nurse in the NICU then as a supervisor. He will always be remembered professionally and personally for the impact he has had in the NICU.

Condolence: It was an honor to work with Dr. Khawam. My thoughts are with his family at this difficult time.

Condolence: Souha, Brian and I are so sorry for the loss of your father. Please know you are in our prayers during this difficult time.

Condolence: A gentle, thoughtful giving man took such excellent care of our 2 pounder 16 years ago. Dr. Kawham was a port in a storm that we were living in. He always had a quiet demeanor in such a chaotic, critical time in our lives. He definitely touched our life in a positive way in knowing our son was being so well taken care of during his stay in the NICU at HDVCH. Our sympathies to his family.

Condolence: I had the privilege of working with Dr. Khawam in the NICU. He was a pleasure to work with. His kindness and compassion towards families will be treasured. I am so sorry to hear of his passing. I will keep the family in my thoughts and prayers.

Condolence: We are so sorry to hear of Dr. Khawam's passing. We were blessed to have him care for our daughter 23 years ago. He was an amazing caring doctor. We want to thank his family for sharing him with us. You all have our sincere sympathy.

Condolence: I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Khawam when he helped care for my sons when they were admitted to the NICU for a 4 month stay. He was a kind and gentle person who was calming for us during our time of crisis. I later came to work in the NICU during his last few years before retirement and he always had a smile when he greeted people. He was a lovely person and I am grateful that I had the pleasure of knowing him. Sending my sincere condolences to his family.

Condolence: I had the privilege of working with Dr. Khawam for several years in the NICU. He not only cared greatly for the babies and their families, but he cared for the nurses. He was quick with a smile and a laugh, and deeply compassionate to those who were hurting. He was intuitive to feelings of others. He was an eager teacher, a wise physician, and a kind man. He was missed when he retired, and my thoughts go to his family in their loss of him now.

Condolence: I am RN at Helen Devos Childrens Hospital. I had the pleasure of Working with Dr Khawam for many years. He was a wonderful Doctor and will be missed. He had such a gentle manner and loved all the babies he cared for.

Condolence: I had the privilege of getting to know Dr. Khawam as both my dad's partner and long-time friend while growing up in Grand Rapids and while working in the Neonatal unit during university breaks. He was always extremely kind and took the time in a busy intensive care unit to explain things to me to help me grow in my education. Our family was all touched by his generous spirit; even after moving hundreds of miles away Dr. Khawam returned to Grand Rapids to celebrate with my family at my wedding in 2011. His generosity he showed will not be forgotten and I am truly grateful to have known such a compassionate individual. Love, Kristen Beaumont Ryder

Condolence: I am a NICU social worker who had the honor & privilege of working with Dr. Khawam for more than 20 years. He was a kind and caring person & colleague who touched the lives of countless NICU families & staff with his sensitive, soft-spoken approach. He will be forever remembered. Sending love & comforting thoughts to family & friends.

Condolence: Dr. Jean Khawam, a retired HDVCH neonatologist, passed away on Sunday after a lengthy illness Many of you worked with Jean and understand what a great loss this is for all of us who knew him. Many of you never met him, so I will tell you a little about him. Jean arrived in Grand Rapids in 1975, having just finished his neonatal fellowship in Wisconsin. He was the second doctor to join our group. He continued to help our unit grow and flourish until his retirement in 2008. His hard work was instrumental in laying the foundation for what would become our children’s hospital. After retiring, he and his wife Souhair moved to Roanoke, VA to be near their oldest daughter Souha, her husband and 2 grandchildren. Jean was a great man and doctor. He was a true “gentle” man. He was a quiet person. He brought honest compassion to the nursery every day. He almost never lost his temper, never complained and always offered sensible advice when asked. He was smart, well-read and always tried to keep up with new developments in our field. Jean was an easy person to like because he was so nice and genuine. I took an immediate liking to him as most people did. He was a role model for me throughout my career and one of the reasons I decided to join our group. Those of us who knew him will miss him dearly. Those of you who never met him missed out on an opportunity to see what true greatness can be.