Dr. Saba S. Khalil DMD, 71, Saint Louis, passed away June 2, 2023. Dr. Khalil was born April 16, 1952, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to the late Senot and Margaret (Daoud) Khalil. He is survived by his wife of 18 years Diane (Fleischmann), daughter Lisa, stepson Kevin Arl, brother Ramses (Marline), sisters Elizabeth Green (Hayden) and Phebe Johnson (Cliff), and the lat Lucy Khalil.
Saba had 12 years Roman Catholic Jesuit education in Ethiopia and was awarded a gold watch by the emperor Haile Selasy for his academic achievements. He then started at Wheaton College, graduated from Indiana State University, and pursued a Masters in Public Health from the University of Illinois-Chicago. Following that, he graduated from Washington University, School of Dental Medicine, St. Louis, in 1983. Saba practiced General Dentistry for 33 years in Missouri, Texas, and Qatar before expanding his knowledge into Dental Sleep Medicine and Dental Implants. He was known for his generousity but especially for the underprivileged and those in ministry. He was also active with Rotary International and Give Kids A Smile where his kindness was recognized by many. Saba was an extremely compassionate man with a heart of gold and he will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him.
Visitation will be held at Kutis Affton Chapel 10151 Gravois Rd. 63123 on Sunday June 11 from 4-8 pm. then at Harvest St. Louis Church 9607 Gravois Rd. 63123 on Monday June 12 from 9:00 am. until funeral service time at 10:00 am. Interment to follow at St. Paul Churchyard Cemetery 7600 S. Rock Hill Rd. 63123.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in Saba’s memory to www.hope4mena.org This is an organization that Saba loved for their charitable work in the Middle East and North Africa.
Dr. K Was such a Kind, Appreciative, Grateful Man. He went out of his way to help and accommodate his patients. He will be Greatly missed. Prayers to all his Family and Friends.
Diane, our hearts grieve for your sudden loss. Saba was such a dear friend. Beth and I got to know him the year he moved to St Louis. His kindness has touched many and he was loved by all. He will be sorely missed here, but we know he is now rejoicing with the saints, his parents and family members who had preceded him.
Our deepest sympathy to you and the family.
Love,
Albert and Beth Mina
Diane, I am so very sorry for your loss. Saba was a ball of energy, filled with kindness, hope, and rich in love for everyone he knew. A bright light has truly dimmed in our world.
My family and I have so many memories of Saba and you. I will truly miss my little Egyptian brother with that great smile, but my Gil is welcoming him into Heaven. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Diane,
Our hearts ache for your loss. Saba’s incredible laughter…he lit up every room he was in. His sparkling eyes always made you wonder what he was up to…..giving, giving, giving!! He was so generous.
He will be greatly missed. What a servant behind the scenes.
I’m so sorry to learn of his passing. Such a kind, upbeat and giving man. To his family and friends, I hope all the wonderful memories you have help carry you through the grief. Miss you already my friend.
Diane,
I was so sadden to hear about Saba. I know your heart is breaking and pray for you and your loss. His kindness will be missed and he will be a huge loss to the dental world.
We are so sorry to hear of Saba’s passing. He was always so kind, funny and generous to our whole family. He was a faithful believer and kind man who will be missed.
Oh Diane, we are so sorry for your loss. You and Saba have blessed us in so many ways. You are in our thoughts and prayers as you grieve the passing of Saba’s earthly presence while celebrating his wonderful life. Much love. Tim and Patty.
Diane s my are so very sorry for your loss. Saba was such a beautiful human being and the whole Fleischmann family was blessed to have Saba in our lives. Prayers for you all. With much
Love Becky&Ed
Diane,
I am so saddened to hear of Saba’s passing. He was such a kind, loving man. I have such fond memories of him. May the Lord provide you with His peace.
Saba was a man of irrepressible laughter, generosity and kindness. Bradley and I will always be grateful for his hospitality during the memorable trip to Egypt and being hosted by his brother, Ramses and wife, Marline.
Psalm 34:18
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Diane and family I am so very sorry for your loss. I pray that Our Father hold you close surrounding you with Love Peace and comfort. Saba was certainly one in a million and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to meet him. I have to say I’ve met very few like him. I had an immediate sense of his genuine kindness gentle and caring ways . I’m certain Our Father called him by name followed by “job well done my faithful servant” !
Much Love
MaryAnn
My sincere condolences to you and all the family. May his soul Rest In Peace.
Saba was loved by all who knew him. Our families met in Ethiopia where his parents helped all new missionaries coming to that country. Saba was a young boy. Through the years our friendships continued as life unfolded for our families. Saba completed his journey, remaining faithful to the Lord. May God bless his memory.
Madonna Yates, Columbus, IN
We’re very sorry to hear of your loss, Diane. Our thoughts are with during this difficult time.
Ben & Monica Yorke
What a loss for this world but a gain for heaven’s hosts! Saba lovingly and generously treated my family during our 15 years in St Louis.
I am truly in shock and saddened by this news. He was one of my most favorite people in this whole world. Words can’t express the great loss that I feel. We hold fast to the truth and believe that “absent from the body we are present with the Lord.” My thoughts and prayers are with you, Diane, at this timr.
Saba was one of the kindest and most jovial people I have ever met. He was so pleasant to be around and put a smile on everyone’s face. I’m blessed to have met him and to work with him. He believed in me and made me a better person and I will miss him dearly. Prayers go out to Diane and his family.
So sorry for your loss, Diane. Saba was a true gem of a human being. Loved his belly laugh and always admired his kindness. Until we all meet again.
Pam
Diane, I’m so sorry for your loss. What a legacy of warmth, joy and love he has left behind. Prayers and love heading your way and to all who were so fortunate to know him.
Diane,
This is heart breaking. I’m so sorry for your loss. I was such a big fan of Saba and I always looked forward to seeing you both at family events. He had such a big heart. All the hugs and love to you and Kevin.
This is a shock to us. The sudden demise of Saba was least expected. He was a Godly man, a very competent dentist and responsible citizen. I will always remember the cold day in November 2007 when I met with a dental emergency around 3 AM. We notified Saba and he asked us to come to his dental clinic that same morning. We reached there by 6:30 AM and he had opened the clinic just for me. He worked on my teeth for the next two hours and made it possible for me to get to my important meeting that morning. Who would go this far out of his way to help a patient in need? My heart is full of gratitude for all that Saba has done for me and I thank my God for Saba. I do not have the words to describe Saba’s selfless sacrifice to his patients and the community at large. He will be missed by the whole community. Our heartfelt condolences to Diane and family and Ramses and Marline.
Diane
I was sadden to hear of the passing of Dr K. He was always so kind and loving. Working with him at Delta Dental was always a pleasure. He will truly be missed by all whom he touched. His smile and kind words always brightened your day.
Saba loved life! He was grateful and compassionate; always learning and smiling! I grieve for my sister, yet I know Saba is with our Creator! It was a pleasure and a gift to have Saba in our family!
Heaven has welcomed an exceptional man. I am so saddened to hear but also so appreciative that I was able to work with him and you, Diane, for so many years. He taught me to be a positive light in this world that I gratefully acknowledge every day. He will be greatly missed but always acknowledged with love and appreciation.
Sorry for your loss he was my favorite dentist and I follow him from place to place and I always thought about him. I wish I had gotten in touch with him. Diane I’m prayer for you and your family.
Diane, the news of Saba’s passing is truly heartbreaking. He was such a treasured and amazing man. His laughter and the fun times we had working together will always warm my heart. Sending you strength, love and hugs.
I’m saddened for the passing of Dr K’, you will be truly missed. We will miss seeing you bright smile. Always in the Delta Family hearts.
I first met Saba years ago when we lived in the same apartment building. He was my dentist from that day forward. He did superb work but I also loved his friendliness and concern for his patients. He was such an asset to the community. I will miss him. Sincere condolences to Diane and family.
We send our deepest condolences to all the family and pray for God’s comfort in this time of loss.
Diane,
We were so very shocked to hear of Saba’s death. We are so very sorry. We considered Saba a dear friend. He was always so happy and appreciative of everything Gary did for him. Saba could be talking to a patient or colleague and when he saw Gary he would always stop and say “Mr. Gary Temming” and Gary would return with “Mr. Saba Khalil”. Always respectful to each other. The Dental community lost a dear friend.
I am sad to read of Saba’s passing . He was a generous, loving, kind man of God. I am out of the state and cannot join you Diane. Please know we are lifting you and thinking of out times together. Tom passed away 4 years ago. I know your heart is broken and he will be missed.
Love,
Pam Boatright
Diane and family, we are heartbroken to learn of Saba’s sudden passing. He was so very kind, and cheerful. His greetings were like warm blanket on a cold day! We are so grateful wr got to know him for a little while…. But we shall see him again!
We’ll be praying for you in the days ahead.
Diane,
So sorry to hear about Dr Khalil. He was very kind and giving and I’m appreciative of all he did for me and my family.
Take care,
Nancy Bauer
I am truly sorry to hear about your loss. Saba was a great man and he will be truly missed and will always be remembered. His generosity is unparalleled and the world lost a blessed soul.
Diane,
My sympathy to you and your family. May you be comforted by the memories you share with family and friends. I will always remember his smile and pleasant nature. Keeping you in prayer.
I had the privilege to work with Dr Khalil at the emergency clinic. His compassion and love to help others was inspiring. I remember running into him at the airport and came to discover we were going to the same dental conference. He was so excited to run into me. I, of course, was equally excited because he is a genuine and amazing man. He never stopped learning as much as he could and sharing it with others.
Diane, Charles and I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to you. Saba was such a wonderful man. Friendly, kind, considerate, always smiling and making the people around him feel included. Charles has several fond memories with him during their dental school years. He will be missed very much by so many. We will pray that God gives you comfort during this very difficult time.
My condolences to: Liz, Phebe, Ramses, Joy, Rebecca & Amy. Saba & I met at ISU when we were 19 yrs old & were married 24 yrs. We had 1 daughter.
I was shocked to learn of his passing from a letter from Social Security.
Saba was such a kind gentle caring human being. I’ll never forget his kindness and caring spirit after I had a procedure done on a Friday afternoon. He called me on Saturday and wanted me to come in for a check up to make sure everything was okay. He said it was his day off and no hurry. I hope that I can be half as good a person as he was. From the bottom of my heart, saba thank you for all you have done for me. Bless you and your family and forever rest in peace, you will be missed.
Diane, I hope you get this note (not because I want to puff myself up, but I don’t have your email handy–or at all?)…which is a perfect segway into why I wasn’t there at the funeral /memorial service. We hadn’t heard of the sudden passing into eternity of my dear friend, brother in Christ and oh, he was my dentist too!
Saba was one of those unique persons whom you instantly “like” and never grow tired of seeing, chatting and hugging. He was one of the few doctors I knew or have enjoyed whereas as I was laying back in my dental chair (so comfortable), in a nearly horizontal or below horizontal position, I could look out of the corner of my eye and I was eye to eye with my dentist. Nice!! 🙂
In all seriousness, everyone in our family LOVED HIM. He radiated the joy of the Lord, whether intentional or not—God gave him a face to reflect His love of us, while we were yet sinners…Christ died for us.
Saba is with the LORD now—approaching a year!?! It sure doesn’t seem that long ago…but I’m sure that he has no regrets, no tears, no worries, no emergency dental issues—he must have new duties, cannot wait to see him and hear and experience the radiance of JESUS CHRIST, face to face, not dimly as in a mirror. Maranatha !!!
Saba is more alive today than he’s ever been…may all who knew him on earth, but their trust and full faith in Christ alone, by faith—not of any works, lest any of us boast. Perge! Laus Deo, Andy & Cathy Ruchte & adult children, Drew-Jill & Lane
p.s. even our kids loved our dentist friend…one even commented, I loved when he rubbed his finger around the perimeter of my teeth, checking for abnormalities and such. He was such a kind, loving, gentle, engaging GIANT of a man: to GOD be all the glory !!!