DIXON – Dr. Rifaqat Ali Mohammed Khan, 52, of Dixon, died unexpectedly Friday, May 4, 2012, in a tragic boating accident on the Rock River.

Dr. Khan was born Jan. 1, 1960, to Aquil Ali and Nafeesa Khan in Gulbarga, India, and grew up in Mysore, India. He was an accomplished cricketer and earned a black belt in karate. At age 18, he returned to Gulbarga to attend K.R. Medical College and then moved to the United States after graduating to complete his residency in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. Upon completion of his training in 1993, he joined KSB Hospital as a staff physician. He was a member of the Sauk Valley Islamic Center, Volunteer Care Center, American Medical Association, Lee County Medical Society and Doctors Without Borders. Hunting, boating, cooking, gardening and traveling were among his hobbies. He was a voracious reader in all disciplines, and never ceased to expand his knowledge to improve understanding in his field and other interests.

Among several significant life achievements, Dr. Khan cherished his time in Kosovo, when he left in 1999 to help tend to war-ravaged refugees. He took with him medical supplies to help set up functional clinics in refugee camps. In January 2006, he spent his vacation volunteering in the worst-affected parish of New Orleans, helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. He always went out of his way to answer health-related questions and made himself available for those in need.