WHEREAS, John Charles Bucur, an honorable veteran, esteemed neurosurgeon, and beloved husband, father, papa, grandpa, and friend, died on August 17, 2023; and
WHEREAS, after graduating high school valedictorian a year early and enrolling for a semester at Ohio University, John Bucur enlisted with the United States Army in 1943 to support the Allied war effort during World War II; and
WHEREAS, John Bucur bravely served his country in the European Theatre with the 17th Field Artillery Observation Battalion of V Corps, notably participating in Operation D-Day and later the liberation of Buchenwald; and
WHEREAS, following the war, John Bucur attended the American Biarritz University in France and then Ohio University, acquiring degrees in zoology and mathematics, and then earned a medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1951 and a master's degree in surgery from the University of Pennsylvania in 1953; and
WHEREAS, after completing his neurosurgery residency in 1956 and serving briefly as a staff neurosurgeon at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach, California, John Bucur relocated to Arlington and established a private practice in neurosurgery; and
WHEREAS, John Bucur dedicated himself to caring for his patients over a long and accomplished career, working tirelessly to achieve positive health outcomes for those he served; and
WHEREAS, John Bucur advanced his field through leadership positions with local and national medical societies and various hospitals, including the former Fairfax Hospital, now Inova Fairfax, which he helped found; and
WHEREAS, a proud veteran, John Bucur gave generously of his time in his later years to share his wartime experiences both with students through a veterans history project in Fairfax County and through an oral history initiative at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; and
WHEREAS, guided throughout his life by his faith, John Bucur enjoyed worship and fellowship with his community at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke, where he served as an usher; and
WHEREAS, preceded in death by his son, John, John Bucur will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife Emily Leanne; his children, Dean, Victoria, Michael, and Teri, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of John Charles Bucur, a distinguished veteran and neurosurgeon who dedicated his life to the safety and well-being of others and inspired all who knew him through his kind and generous nature; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of John Charles Bucur as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.