Jorge M. Alegre

On September 5, 2023, Jorge Maximo Alegre Benavides of Chesterfield, MO entered his eternal rest at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, Perla (nee Dodds) and son Jorge (Rachel). He is preceded in death by his parents Maximo and Josefina (nee Benavides), brother Jose, sisters Alicia and Zoila.

Jorge served as a Reserve Commissioned Officer in the Army of the United States from December 18, 1970 and was honorably discharged March 9, 1977.

The youngest of four children, Jorge was born on August 20, 1937 in the port city of Callao, Peru. As a teenager he attended the Colegio America, an American school in his hometown where he cultivated two life-long passions: Perla and learning. Upon completing his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional Mayor De San Marcos De Lima, Peru, he pursued his internship training in North America. His first interview was in Ontario, Canada. Post interview the next day, he awoke to find himself surrounded in massive amounts of snow, which didn't appeal to him. Thus, he declined his first offer and accepted a seat at the Barnes-Jewish Hospital program instead.

His first few years in the U.S. were spent completing his internship and courting Perla long distance. She accepted his proposal and they married in 1967, flying to St. Louis the very next day to begin their life-long honeymoon. Concurrently, Jorge's St. Luke's Hospital career took shape. He completed both his Residency (Internal Medicine) and Fellowship (Cardiology), and at last accepted an appointment with St. Luke's in December 1970. The rest is St. Luke's Hospital history.

Jorge spent his free time quenching his curiosity. He loved to read novels, magazines, texts about historical events, and continuing his medical education imparting his knowledge with those around him. His ultimate passion was his love of medicine, his inherent nature to always help others, and to take any opportunity to guide/teach the next generation of upcoming professionals. Weekends were spent with a roast in the oven or perfecting the holiday turkey and usually included one glass of heart healthy red wine.

He was affectionately referred to as "St. Jorge" by his colleagues. Jorge was a benevolent man remarkable in his faith, work, compassion, kindness and generosity. He was by all counts the most genuine soul and giving person. He will be dearly missed by those of us lucky enough to call him friend or Doctor or both.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, September 14, 2023 from 4 until 8 pm at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions West County Chapel, 2211 Clarkson Rd, Chesterfield, MO 63017. A funeral mass will be held on Friday, September 15, 2023 at 11 am at St. Anselm Catholic Church, 530 S Mason Rd, St. Louis, MO 63141. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to these organizations, which Jorge supported and were of significance to him for their work and continued achievements:

St. Patrick Center: https://www.stpatrickcenter.org/donate
Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation: https://www.glennon.org/

Thank you to Dr. Ettinger and Haikal for your friendship and care in addition to the countless nurses, staff, and caregivers involved throughout. Also, to our dearest friends Laura Gutierrez, Willy Morgan, Silvia and Ernesto Gutierrez, Kathy Zambrano, Lucy Haro, and the McClain family for your devoted support, love, and efforts these last few days in helping us come together in Jorge's honor. And to the many who have been part of our extended family all these years, we sincerely thank you for your reach-outs, messages, ongoing prayers and condolences. We send our love and deepest appreciation.

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