Dr. Caner Celeboglu didn’t plan on practicing medicine in Streator long.

“My wife, Bonnie, is from New York and the Midwest was so much different,” he said. “When we came to Streator in 1976, we thought we’d only stay a couple of years, but those two years turned into four years and then four years became 40 years.”

Celeboglu enjoyed a 43-year career as a general surgeon — first as an independent practitioner before joining OSF HealthCare five years ago. Now he’s retiring.

To celebrate his career, there will be a community open house 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 28, in the Community Education Center at the OSF Center for Health – Streator, 111 Spring St.

Celeboglu knew all about medicine from his father, who was a family practice physician. General surgery wasn’t his first choice.

“I thought about becoming a urologist,” said Celeboglu, who graduated from medical school in Turkey. “But I decided early on that it wasn’t for me. Surgery is what I really enjoyed.”

As a general surgeon, Celeboglu estimates 75% of his work is surgically repairing abdomens, gallbladders, hernias and soft tissue tumors. But that wasn’t always the case.

“When I first came to Streator, we treated many trauma cases, such as gunshot and stab wounds,” Celeboglu said. “There were no hospitalists at the time and we didn’t transfer patients to other facilities like we do now. We slept in the hospital and we took care of basically everyone we touched. It was a different ballgame back then.”

In addition to his medical practice, Celeboglu has been an active community volunteer. He’s served the chamber of commerce, YMCA and worked on various OSF committees over the years.

It’s the patients who will stick in his memory the most.

“I have operated on three or four generations of some families,” he said. “I remember treating one young patient who had appendicitis and years later I operated on his child.

“I’m going to miss my connection to the patients and the community,” he added. “This town adopted me as their own. It’s been a satisfying career.”

Celeboglu plans on living in the Streator area. He and his wife will visit their daughter, Suzan, and three grandchildren in the Chicago area, and their son, Eren, a television writer in Los Angeles, who has written for many series, including the show “Scrubs.”