Obituary

Dr. Salar Shwan Baban passed away peacefully on September 9, 2025, at his home in Dana Point, California.

Salar is survived by his beloved wife Sandra Gomez Baban; his son Shane Baban; stepdaughters Christina and Kimberly Gomez; sisters Tara Baban and Tania Baban Natal; brother Mohamed Baban; sister-in-law May Husseini Baban, niece Jianne Baban and nephew Yezen Baban; and brothers-in-law Zeid Hanna and James Natal.

A loving husband, father, and cherished friend, Salar was born on September 28, 1954, in Baghdad, Iraq to Shwan Jamal Baban and Suham Sami Aldin. After graduating from Baghdad College in 1972, he attended Baghdad University Dental School where he received his D.D.S. degree. Salar moved to Los Angeles in 1979. There, he embarked on a long and successful career in the dental profession where he was revered by patients, clinicians, and colleagues alike.

Salar, a world traveler since childhood, avidly pursued an astonishing array of passions and interests, among them: reading (particularly science fiction and ancient history); music; comic books, manga, and anime; photography and painting; cars; and international cultures, cuisines, and wines. But, most of all, he loved people—the family and long-time friends from all over the world who always came to him first for advice and wise counsel, or simply for great conversation.

He will be deeply missed, but will remain alive in the hearts and memories of all those who knew and loved him.