Former owner of the Medicne Shoppe Pharmacy dies

Jamil Farid Harb, businessman, pharmacist and former owner of the Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy, died on Jan. 4, 2015 at the age 53.

Harb was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Ramallah, Palestine. In 1969, he moved to San Diego with his family. Harb attended the University of California at Davis and received a degree in physiology. He then moved to Birmingham, Ala., where he attended Samford University and received a post-graduate degree in pharmacy. He went on to own a number of professional pharmacies across the country, including the Medicine Shoppe, which was located on Washington Street. Harb operated the Medicine Shoppe for more than 30 years before closing it in 2012.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa Kay Harb, and their three young daughters: Elia, Ana and Olivia.

In 2001, Harb married his wife, Lisa, in San Francisco. In 2004, the family moved to Sonoma County, stopping briefly in Petaluma and finally settling happily in Sonoma in 2011.

He was a member of the Olympic Club in San Francisco, the Sonoma Golf Club and the Cordelia Shooting Club. He was very active in his childrens’ education, serving on the Board of Trustees of The Presentation School since 2011.

Harb was an avid outdoorsman who loved to cook and was frequently surrounded by his many close friends. “Jamil loved life and truly lived every day to the fullest. He collected close friends everywhere he lived and whether it was hunting, golfing or sharing a bottle of wine, his friends treasured every moment with him,” said close friend Tim Favia.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the Presentation School Scholarship Fund, 20872 Broadway, Sonoma, 95476.

There will be a viewing at Duggan’s Mission Chapel from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Jan 7, followed by a Trisagion service there from 7-9 p.m. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8 at the Nativity of Christ Church in Novato.