James W. Ferraro, II

Dr. James “Jim” Ferraro (also known as “Doc”), age 82, passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 18th, 2021. He was a beloved father, grandfather, friend, and physician who lived an incredible life and will be missed by many.

Visitation: Monday, November 22nd, 4-7 PM at Egan-Ryan Funeral Home, 4661 Kenny Rd. Columbus 43220

Funeral Mass: Tuesday, November 23rd, 10:30 AM at St. Andrew Catholic Church, 1899 McCoy Rd. Columbus, OH 43220

Preceded in death by his parents James W. Ferraro, Sr. and Carolyn Ferraro, sister Carol Ann Schoonover, sons Jimmy, Jeffrey, and Tommy Ferraro, and daughter Beth Ferraro. 

Survived by daughter Susan (Ramzi) Nahhas, sons Michael and Andrew (Amber) Ferraro, granddaughter Audrey Ferraro, grandson Owen Ferraro, and mother of his children, Donna Sue Ferraro.

Son of James Ferraro, Sr. and Carolyn Ferraro, Jim was born and raised in Akron, Ohio along with his younger sister Carol Ann. (Akron is also the birthplace of Swensons, his favorite place for cheeseburgers as a child and as an adult.) He was proud of his Italian heritage and visited the town his family is from, Castel di Sangro, more than once.

In Akron, Jim attended Saint Sebastian School and Saint Vincent High School, after which he headed thirty miles north to Western Reserve University to complete a biological sciences bachelor’s degree. When he wasn’t studying at the library, Jim ran track and cross country and spent time with his Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers.

Jim remained at Western Reserve to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree. However, he didn’t end up practicing dentistry like his father because he then decided to pursue a medical degree from the Ohio State University, also earning membership in the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Once he entered residency, Jim still had eight years of training to complete: five years in general surgery and three years in plastic surgery. Eventually, he would go on to teach many residents over the course of his career.  

Jim was a board-certified plastic surgeon in Columbus at the private practice Ohio Plastic Surgeons, Inc. as well as at local hospitals Riverside, Mount Carmel, Saint Ann’s, Ohio State, and Columbus Children’s Hospital. Maxillofacial surgery was a specialty of his and Jim belonged to the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS), serving as ASMS president in 1994. Volunteering for ASMS, Jim shared his expertise for many years at their Basic Maxillofacial Principles and Techniques course, co-sponsored by the Maxillofacial Surgeons Foundation.

Jim also volunteered at a clinic in southern Ohio where he took care of underprivileged patients with jaw, palate, and other maxillofacial malformations. He served as editor and co-author of the book Fundamentals of Maxillofacial Surgery, published in 1999. Jim was loved by his patients and the people he worked with. He retired in 2004 after a long, distinguished career in medicine.

Jim’s children were top priority and he spent a lot of time with them. There are too many fond memories to list, but a few highlights include cheering for his kids at their games and matches, cheering on Ohio State at the Horseshoe, cheering on Cleveland’s professional sports teams (and, more often than not, sulking when they lost), white water rafting on the New River, watching (and rewatching) tons of movies, doing yard work, hitting balls at the Lakes Country Club, slurping down Frosties at Wendy’s, travelling across the country and abroad, and getting away from it all at the family cabin in Hocking Hills.

Though football may have been Jim’s favorite sport to watch, golf was his favorite sport to play. Jim and his golf buddies traveled far and wide to play golf together, including courses in Taos, New Mexico and St. Andrews, Scotland. He enjoyed sports movies and, even more so, war movies, with an extra special place in his heart for musicals (South Pacific was his favorite) and romantic films. As a big fan of music, Jim had tons of CDs and never got tired of listening to the Sound of Music soundtrack. (His collection of CDs was preceded by cassettes and eight-tracks, yet he was clueless when it came to MP3s or anything else involving computers or modern technology.) 

It was a good thing Jim was so affable and lovable since otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to get away with almost never being punctual! Among Jim's endearing quirks was his habit of adding Splenda to almost everything he ate. On top of what has already been said, Jim was a survivor who made it through difficult challenges in his life including unspeakable tragedy thanks to his strength and his faith. Following his time at Saint Timothy parish, Jim became part of the Saint Andrew parish family.

In the final chapter of his life, Jim resided at the Grand of Dublin, where he was beloved by many people who lived and worked there and made several close friends. He continued to spend a lot of time with his children and was over the moon when his two grandchildren came along. Thanks in part to OhioHealth Hospice’s guidance, his two grandchildren were able to be by his side (along with the rest of Jim's family) on the day Ohio State’s football team beat Purdue, which was also the last day he was able to speak.

Though Jim’s death is very sad, this is also an opportunity for friends, family, and colleagues to celebrate his life, a life that made an impact on countless people.

Tributes, messages, and pictures can be posted at https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/JamesWFerraro/

In lieu of flowers and cards, donations can be made to the Monsignor Kenneth Grimes Scholarship Fund at Bishop Watterson High School, 99 E. Cooke Rd, Columbus, Ohio 43214 or on their website www.bishopwatter­son.com. 

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