Early life and education
Associate Professor Dr. Jesada Nimmannitya was born on 13 May 1934 in Mueang District, Trat Province. He was the sixth of seven children of Mr. ฮ่องฮึน แซ่หลิม and Mrs. อุ่น, the parents from whom the Nimmannitya family descends.
The seven siblings were Mr. เจน นิมมานนิตย์, Mr. จรัส นิมมานนิตย์, Mr. จินต์ นิมมานนิตย์, Mrs. รัตนา พรหมสาขา ณ สกลนคร, Dr. กาญจนา นิมมานนิตย์, Associate Professor Dr. Jesada Nimmannitya, and Mr. สมเกียรติ นิมมานนิตย์.
He completed his lower secondary education at Trat Trakan Khun School before moving to Bangkok to study at Triam Udom Suksa School. He then spent two years as a premedical student in the Faculty of Science at Chulalongkorn University, before crossing the river to continue his medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital.
He graduated in medicine in 1960 as a member of Siriraj’s 65th class and entered government service as a faculty member in the Department of Surgery, treating patients in both general surgery and neurosurgery.
Further training in the United States
With the support of Professor Dr. อุดม โปษะกฤษณะ, he pursued specialist training in neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in the United States. He received certification from the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1972.
During his training, he had the opportunity to learn from two internationally distinguished teachers: Dr. Lucy Rorke-Adams, a pioneer and expert in neuropathology, and Dr. Thomas W. Langfitt, a specialist in neurosurgery. The knowledge and experience he gained from both became an important foundation for his later work.
While living and working in the United States, he also received a letter commending his work from President Lyndon B. Johnson, an honour remembered as another significant part of his professional life.
Alongside brain surgery, he developed a strong interest in diagnostic imaging and the pathology of brain tumours. He brought this knowledge back to Thailand, applying it in patient care and passing it on to subsequent generations of neurosurgical residents.
A life of patient care and teaching
Associate Professor Dr. Jesada played an important role in helping Professor Dr. อุดม โปษะกฤษณะ and Clinical Professor Dr. วิชัย บำรุงผล establish the neurosurgical residency training programme at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital.
Throughout his career, he devoted himself to caring for patients, particularly through surgery for brain tumours and cerebrovascular disease, and to helping patients in financial hardship. He placed great importance on care both during and after surgery. He believed that patients came to a doctor in distress and entrusted their lives to the person treating them, so a doctor must fulfil that responsibility to the best of their ability.
For him, seeing a patient recover was a profound personal reward, especially when he had successfully helped someone through a difficult and complex operation. He would often return home and tell his family about these patients and operations with pride. Through these stories, his children came to understand how much it meant to him to use his knowledge and abilities to help others.
As a teacher, he cared deeply about whether his students truly understood what they were learning. They remembered how he would repeatedly ask whether they understood, explaining further and sharing his experience so that they could apply their knowledge in patient care. His colleagues remembered his kindness and readiness to help whenever problems arose, even late at night.
He treated everyone around him with respect, whatever their role. His attachment to Siriraj was rooted both in his work and in the people he loved there. Siriraj was like a second home. Even after he no longer worked there full time, he continued to want to return to see and greet his colleagues and students.
One of his greatest sources of pride was receiving the Mahidol University Award for Textbook Authorship for the 1994 academic year, for “Brain Tumors: Basic Knowledge.” He wrote the book from the knowledge and experience accumulated throughout his career, to share with neurosurgeons, general physicians, and interested members of the public.
After retiring from government service, he continued teaching as a special lecturer for another five years, until the age of 65.
Family life
Associate Professor Dr. Jesada married Associate Professor พรพิทย์ นิมมานนิตย์, a pharmacist. They had three children:
- Mr. ปริญญ์ นิมมานนิตย์, who married Mrs. จริดา นิมมานนิตย์.
- Associate Professor Dr. ปรีดิ์ นิมมานนิตย์, who married Dr. กุลสุภา นิมมานนิตย์, a lecturer. They have two children: a daughter, เจษลิน นิมมานนิตย์, and a son, ปรีดิ์รติ นิมมานนิตย์.
- Mrs. มนตรา ศรีสุพรรณ, who married Mr. ธีรพล ศรีสุพรรณ. They have two sons, จิรายุทธ ศรีสุพรรณ and ธีรยุทธ ศรีสุพรรณ.
As the head of his family, he always gave his wife and children love and attention. However demanding his work became, he still found time for family holidays and travel, both within Thailand and abroad. These times together became treasured family memories.
When speaking about his love for his wife, he placed greater importance on actions than on sweet words. For him, the best expression of love was how one acted. This belief could be seen in his everyday care, attentiveness, forgiveness, and respect for those around him.
For his children, he was both a source of warmth and an example of how to live. They remembered his lessons and the example he set, and carried these into their own thinking, decisions, and ways of solving problems.
The joy of music and reading
Beyond medicine and teaching, two things he loved and regularly made time for were singing and reading.
He loved to sing and practised every day. Over the years, he was invited to sing at charity events marking Mahidol Day. His repertoire included “เชียงรายรำลึก,” “น้ำตาเทียน,” “ขอเป็นจันทร์,” and “หวงรัก.” His singing remains another cherished part of how his family and those who knew him remember him.
He also loved reading and continually sought knowledge through books. The sight of him reading or practising his singing was familiar to his family, reflecting the happiness he found in learning and in steadily practising what he loved.
Retirement and his final years
Although he later faced health difficulties from Parkinson’s disease and other conditions requiring ongoing treatment, the care of his medical team and family enabled him to continue finding enjoyment in life. He could eat the food he loved and travel with the people he cared about. One of his wishes in retirement was to be with his family and see his children make progress in their lives.
In his final year, Parkinson’s disease made walking increasingly difficult, and he later developed problems with swallowing. On 18 August 2026, he was admitted to hospital with a lung infection. Despite comprehensive care, illness and complications gradually weakened him.
On the morning of 15 September 2026, Associate Professor Dr. Jesada Nimmannitya passed away peacefully, surrounded by the love and close care of his family. He was 92 years and four months old.
A legacy held in memory
The life of Associate Professor Dr. Jesada Nimmannitya was that of a doctor devoted to his patients, a teacher committed to sharing knowledge, a steadfast friend, and a family man who gave love and warmth to his wife, children, and grandchildren.
His knowledge and experience continue to be passed from one generation of students to the next, contributing to the care of patients. His lessons, smile, singing, and warmth remain in the memories of his family, friends, and all who knew him.
Although he is no longer with us, the kindness and example he left through a lifetime of work and care continue to matter to those who received his compassion, knowledge, and love.
With love and remembrance
The Nimmannitya family