Yahya Ahmadian Md

Dr. Yahya S. Ahmadian, beloved physician, devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend, passed away at his home on November 16, 2025, surrounded by his family, just as he wished. He was 91 years old.

Born on March 10, 1934 in Tehran, Iran, Yahya was the eldest of three brothers: his younger brothers Asghar and Massoud, with whom he remained deeply close throughout his life. He was also devoted to his many cousins and extended family, maintaining close relationships and strong family ties across generations and distances.

From an early age, Yahya showed a love of learning, curiosity, and a playful spirit. He enjoyed playing soccer, ping pong, and caring for animals, such as his many pigeons—passions that reflected the warmth and joy he carried throughout his life.

He graduated from medical school at the University of Tehran in 1964 and moved to the United States shortly thereafter. He completed his internship at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, followed by a residency in Pediatrics at Cook County Hospital. He then completed a fellowship in Pediatric Nephrology at Children's Memorial Hospital through Northwestern University Medical School, where he remained on staff and taught for the next 25 years, helping shape generations of pediatricians and subspecialists.

In 1970, Dr. Ahmadian opened his private pediatric practice in Homewood, Illinois, where he lovingly cared for families for nearly five decades. He retired in 2017 at the age of 83, completing more than 50 years of continuous clinical practice.

He was an old-school physician in the truest sense of the term. He took his own phone calls at home, returned calls personally to worried parents, and did not hesitate to go to the hospital in the middle of the night if a newborn or sick child needed him. His patients were not just patients—they were families he walked alongside for years, and often for generations.

Over the course of his career, he became especially known for his long-term care of children with complex and advanced kidney disease. Many of his pediatric nephrology patients were followed by him from infancy through adolescence and beyond. Entire generations of families returned to him—children he once treated grew up and brought their own children, and later their grandchildren. This continuity of care was one of his greatest sources of pride and fulfillment.

He was deeply involved in his local hospital, where he served in numerous leadership roles, including as President of the Department of Pediatrics, and chaired multiple hospital committees.

Outside of medicine, Yahya's heart belonged to his family.

He was completely devoted to his lovely wife of 55 years, Joan, with whom he shared a life filled with love, humor, devotion, and partnership. He was deeply proud of their three children: Jeff, Christina, and Peter. His greatest joy was his four beloved grandchildren—Ainsley, Taylor, Ryan, and Kaitlyn—each of whom he adored and with whom he shared close, lasting relationships.

He was an avid gardener, and his home was surrounded by beauty: large numbers of brightly colored rose bushes, fruit trees, expansive vegetable gardens, and sweet-smelling jasmine (yas). Neighbors and strangers often stopped by simply to admire his roses, and he could almost always be found outdoors joyfully tending to his gardens.

He had a wonderfully playful sense of humor; it was often impossible to tell whether he was being serious or teasing, which delighted him. There was always laughter in his presence.

He cherished time with his family at Lake Geneva, walking along the water, and he enjoyed playing endless rounds of backgammon (which he had truly mastered), and impressing everyone with his skillful, wicked curveball on the ping pong table.

Dr. Yahya Ahmadian will be deeply missed, but he leaves behind a powerful legacy of healing, devotion, joy, and love. His impact lives on through the countless patients and families he cared for, the physicians he taught, and his family he cherished so dearly.

He is survived by his loving wife Joan, his children Jeff (and Jennifer), Christina (and Troy), Peter (and Kristin), his grandchildren Ainsley, Taylor, Ryan, and Kaitlyn, his brothers Asghar and Massoud and their families, his cousins and extended family, and many dear friends.

Private Family Services.  For additional information contact tews-ryanfh.com or call 708-798-5300.