Francisco D. Sabichi
December 14, 1927 – June 28, 2021
Denver Rotary Club 31 Member – 39 years
“Hospitals & Geriatrics”
Compiled and read by Jim Wilkins, October 21, 2021
Fellow Rotarians and guests, we pause today in memory of our friend and fellow Denver Rotarian Francisco David Sabichi, who passed away peacefully on June 28, 2021. He was 93 – a full life with his physician wife Lynn that was jam packed with a focus on improving health care and living conditions in Nepal. Here in Colorado, he loved music and the arts, hiking and always working to improve health care.
Francisco was a hospital administrator. After attending Pomona College and the University of Colorado, he graduated with a BA from Denver University. He later earned a MBA in Hospital Administration from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He held Executive positions at Children’s Hospital here in Denver, the Penrose Community Hospital in Colorado Springs, Beth Israel Hospital in Denver and he was President of Health High, Inc. in Denver. His wife Lynn was an MD and was always working with Francisco on his Rotary projects. They summited all 54 of our 14,000’ peaks here in Colorado while maintaining an active lifestyle. Francisco served in the U.S. Navy as a medic in WWII in his early years.
Let me give you some of the highlights of his Rotary history. Francisco did everything in Rotary with his wife Lynn. They were energetic and focused Rotarians – Francisco for 39 years and Lynn for 16 years. They are what you would describe as a “Rotary Power Couple” and a marriage that thrived for 62 years!
They spearheaded and were awarded one of the very first 3H Grants (health, hunger humanity) in The Rotary Foundation’s history for drastic improvement of sanitation and construction of permanent housing for the 200-bed government hospital and its staff in Biratnagar, Nepal. This $325,000 grant was increased by Denver Rotary’s $25,000 gift and other Rotary Club’s contributions in our District 5450. This 3H project corrected crowded and unhealthy conditions for the medical staff and their families. Francisco coordinated the shipping of containers full of used and new medical equipment to the hospital. A brick two-story building with sanitary water and sewer was built. The Rotary Club of Biratnagar oversaw the projects and Francisco and Lynn would go over for months at a time volunteering and living in third world conditions.
Here are some of the Rotary awards Francisco and Lynn received:
- World Community Services “Continuing Service Award” (2006-07)
- Denver Kids “Rotarians of the Year” (2002-03)
- Rotary Club of Denver “Rotarians of the Year” (2001-02)
- District 5450 Award for “Service Above Self” (1997)
- District 5450 “Four Way Test Award’ (1995-06)
- Major Donors of the Rotary Foundation
- The Rotary Foundation Fellow
- Denver Rotary Club Foundation Fellow
- Honorary Members of the Rotary Club of Biratnagar
- Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Denver (2015)
After Lynn died in 2013, Francisco moved to Clermont Parks Retirement Community here in Denver and became an integral part of that community. He served on the Spiritual Affairs Committee, the Finance Committee, Scholarships Committee benefiting its dedicated Clermont employees, and attended Willshire Presbyterian Church nearby. Wherever Francisco went in his life, he made things better.
Francisco is remembered for his positive attitude, a smile and “two thumbs up”. What a fabulous Rotarian and friend. We are proud of you Francisco.
This Resolution was accepted by a standing vote of the members of The Rotary Club of Denver and others at the Warwick Hotel on October 21, 2021.