Dr. Edward (Ed) Daniel Gometz, 47, of Chicago, IL, passed away peacefully due to complications from Acute Myeloid Leukeumia on Nov. 19, 2024. Ed leaves behind his beloved wife, Shannon Lightner-Gometz and their children Juliana (14) and Gabriel (11).
Born in Kansas, Ed was the son of Dr. Modesto Gometz, and Nilda (Aranda) Gometz who were originally from Paraguay, and both of whom preceded him in death. He is also survived by his brother, Eric, sister-in-law Carol, niece Sofia, and nephews Alexander and Nicolas of Ocala, Florida, as well as many extended family members and dear friends and colleagues around the world.
While Ed's life was far too short, it was filled with his passions-- family, learning, and medicine--and remarkable for all the ways he was of service to others.
Ed loved education and the pursuit of knowledge. After high school he moved to Baltimore, a city he truly loved, to attend Johns Hopkins University, where he met some of his closest friends and fell in love with international studies and in particular Cuba. After graduating from college with a degree in Neuroscience and Latin American Studies, he moved to New York City where he attended Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, working on international public health efforts with UNICEF, UNAIDS, and other efforts. There he also met the love of his life, Shannon.
After graduation, they moved to Washington, DC where he received a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University while applying to medical school. He was elated to receive admission to the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, and together Ed and Shannon moved to Chicago to create their life together. Ed completed his Internal Medicine residency from University of Chicago, served as Chief Resident at MacNeal Hospital, and completed a fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of Illinois Chicago.
At the time of his passing, Ed was serving as a beloved Geriatrician at Rush Senior Care at Rush University Medical Center and as the Medical Director at Warren Barr Gold Coast. He loved his Rush and Warren Barr colleagues, and he was truly dedicated to serving his patients and their families. Ed was active in state and national efforts to improve nursing home quality, and was honored by Rush as a Health Care Hero for his efforts during Covid-19. Ed also worked with Spanish language media to discuss health care topics for their audiences. He truly loved being a doctor. On an international flight this summer, which ended up being among his last days before his final hospitalization, he was the doctor on the plane who responded to a call for help for a fellow passenger. Despite not feeling well himself, he cared for an elderly passenger for the nine hour flight.
Ed also loved being a teacher. Whether teaching medical students and fellows about the art of medicine, or teaching his patients and their families about their health conditions, or teaching his children about movies, music, and TV shows from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, he loved to pass his knowledge on to others. Ed was an amazing father and an adoring husband, and was quick to talk about how much he loved his children and his wife to anyone who would listen. He frequently referred to Juliana, his stem cell donor, as his superhero.
Ed's humor, generosity, kind spirit, patience, loyalty, and willingness to help anyone touched the lives of many. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, or who were touched by his impact.
The family would like to thank all of their friends and colleagues who have supported Ed, Shannon, Juliana, and Gabriel during his cancer journey. They would also like thank the incredible clinical teams who cared for Ed during his time at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. There were so many amazing nurses, physician assistants, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, and physicians who provided excellent care for Ed and took the time to ensure Shannon understood what was going on, and it was hard to always remember their names. However, the family wishes to specifically thank the amazing care, concern, and support given by Dr. Jayesh Mehta, Dr. Jonathan Moreira, Dr. Marc Sala, Brandon Bell, and Kim Truppa.
Services to remember and honor Ed will take place on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, at Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago with the Visitation starting at 9 a.m. and the Mass of Christian Burial beginning at 10 a.m. For those who cannot attend in person, a live stream will be available at: https://liveatoldstpatricks.vhx.tv/events/edwardgometz.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Gilda's Club of Chicago (www.gildasclubchicago.org), which provided Ed so much support during his cancer journey. And to his Gilda's Club friends: thank you.
Other ways to honor Ed and his life include:
For further information please call 312-421-0936.
