Dubai: Emotional farewell for Indian doctor who died in car fire

Mangalore Today News Network

Dubai, Dec 05, 2019:   The well-loved Indian doctor who was killed in a crash on the Sheikh Zayed Road recently was laid to rest in Dubai on Wednesday amid tears and tribute.

More than a hundred residents, including well-known medical professionals, family and friends, gathered at Holy Trinity Church in Oud Metha, Dubai, to honour the life and memory of Dr John Marshall Skinner, a specialist who served at Al Musalla Medical Centre in Bur Dubai. Burial rites followed at Christian Cemetery in Jebel Ali.

"Not a single person, other than Dr Marshall, was hurt in the tragic accident that claimed his life. It goes to prove that he was a harmless person in his life as well as in his death," said Pastor Ashish Thomas of the Dubai City Church.

Dr Sisy Marshall (wife), Rebecca and Rachel (daughters) with fellow mourners at Wednesday’s memorial

Dr Sisy Marshall (wife), Rebecca and Rachel (daughters) at the memorial service for Dr John Marshall on Wednesday

 

The doctor was on his way to a clinic from his house in Jumeirah Village Circle when his Nissan Patrol car flipped over and caught fire, according to a previous report of the incident.

’He was always calm, collected’

Tears filled a hall of Holy Trinity Church as Dr Skinner’s friends and family remembered how he touched countless lives through the profession he loved dearly.

"He was a very determined man who never gave up. He was patient, always calm and collected. Marshall was my rock. As we put the love of my life to rest today, I know this is only his body, but his virtues, handiwork, and values continue to live on in the stories that people are sharing," said his wife, Dr Sissy Marshall.

 

Mourners pay their respects to Dr John Marshall at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday

Family members and friends at the memorial service for the late Dr John Marshall on Wednesday

Many of his patients were mourning, too. Dr Sasikumar Kallivalappil, a specialist neurologist at PrimaCare and a close friend of Dr Marshall, said: "His patients have been coming to the clinic to pay their respects. They’ve been praying and crying after hearing about his loss."

He was a specialist who built his practice ’very carefully’, according to Dr Sunny Kurian, a paediatrician and owner of the Sunny Healthcare Group, who has known Dr Skinner since college in 1978.

"He would spend a lot of time examining his patients, something that doctors don’t do nowadays," Dr Kurian told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the service.

A simple white wreath stood at the hall as a photo slideshow of Dr Skinner’s happy times was kept on loop for mourners.

Courtesy:Khaleejtimes