Modesto, CA - Modesto, California - Dr. Manouchehr Azad, MD, passed away at 8:26 a.m. on December 11, 2025.

A Memorial Celebration of his life will be held on January 31st, 2026 at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, California.

Dr. Manouchehr Azad was born in Tehran, Iran. He was the son of Abdol Hossein Azad-Tatari & Badrelmulook Pazirofteh. He earned his medical degree from Tehran Medical School in 1951. Shortly thereafter, he immigrated to the United States to pursue advanced medical training, first settling in Jersey City, New Jersey. On December 28,1952 he relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota where he continued his professional journey.

In 1953 Dr. Azad began his residency at Ancker Hospital and subsequently completed his training at the University of Minnesota specializing in Radiology and Radiation Oncology. In 1955 he was appointed Chief of the Radiology Department at Swedish Hospital, Metropolitan Mount Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis, with primary focus on Radiation Oncology. Dr. Azad served in this role until 1993, when he moved to Modesto, California, where he became Chief of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Medical Center, a position he held until his retirement in 2012.

December 28,1957 Dr. Azad married Lila Mae "Peggy" Schneider, of St. Paul, Minnesota. Their marriage, characterized by deep love, mutual respect, and devotion, endured for 66 years. Mrs. Azad was an accomplished scholar and clinician, earning a bachelor's degree in Education from Macalester College, a master's degree in Arts and Psychology from the University of Minnesota and a PhD in Psychology from the Fielding institute in Santa Barbara, California.

Mrs. Azad also had a lifelong passion for the arts, and was an avid collector of works spanning diverse cultures, including Chinese and Japanese ivories, ceramics, paintings, blown glass, jewelry and antiques of diverse cultural origins. She referred to herself as a "collectaholic". In accordance with her wishes, a bas relief created in 1961 by the renowned Iranian sculptor Parviz Tanavoli was donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Dr. Azad was profoundly devoted to his wife, his extended family, and his medical profession. Beyond his clinical achievements, he was an active and accomplished athlete. He enjoyed long- distance bicycling throughout the United States and France and was a competitive tennis player, earning numerous trophies over the years.

Dr. Azad maintained a strong sense of responsibility toward his family and was deeply committed to the well-being of his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, grandnephews, and grandnieces. Dr. And Mrs. Azad had no children.

Reflecting on his career, Dr. Azad wrote in his autobiography:

"Looking back at my overall practice since July 1, 1955, at Swedish Hospital, Metropolitan Mount Sinai Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Metropolitan Memorial Center in Modesto, California, for 65 years of uninterrupted practice, including my service as Director of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, it has been with unbelievable satisfaction since the first day I dreamed only of studying at the medical school in Tehran".

Dr. Manouchehr Azad is survived by two brothers and one sister, nephews and nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces. I am proud to call him my brother, and I will cherish his memory for as long as I live. May he rest in peace.