Beloved SLO County doctor — a ‘brilliant surgeon’ and community pillar — dies at 69

[Pelican Press 0]

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Beloved SLO County doctor — a ‘brilliant surgeon’ and community pillar — ***** at 69

A top San Luis Obispo surgeon known for his four decades of excellence and kindness has *****.

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***** Sunday at 69 after a battle with pancreatic *******, according to his brother Alan Hayashi.

Alan said his brother’s reputation for his skill and kindness earned him a special place within his community, fostering a connection between client and doctor that can only come from widespread community trust.

“People were waiting for a long time just to get in, to get operated on, and they would wait because they wanted to wait for him,” Alan Hayashi said.

Alan said he and other members of the Hayashi family have been touched by the outpouring of support on social media and on local radio and television programs in Howard’s memory.

“I used to tell him when he was going through his sickness — and everybody would come up and ask me if they could do anything for him, because he did this for them — I told him, ‘I don’t think you understand the scope or the breadth (of people) that you have affected in this county,’” Alan said.

Hayashi family remembers caring, compassionate man

Howard was one of five children of

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, an Arroyo Grande farmer who was placed in an internment camp during World War II before coming home to start his family and business, the Hayashi Fruit Stand, Alan said.

From an early age, Howard said he wanted to be a doctor — a dream his father was happy to support, Alan said.

“We were raised working hard and doing the work that needs to be done, following in our father’s and mom’s footprints, who also worked hard and went through a lot of stuff,” Alan said. “They taught us how to be responsible, and hard work paid off.”

Howard attended UC Irvine before getting his master’s in public health at UCLA, and then completing medical school at UC Davis, Alan said.

Returning to his hometown, Howard worked to start his own practice and quickly became one of San Luis Obispo County’s top surgeons, providing care through his practice and his work through Dignity Health, Alan said.

“By his second year, I don’t know which doctor nicknamed him, but they called him ‘Robo-Doc’ because he was the guy that just kept going and did over and above,” Alan said. “He developed a great reputation, not only as one of the best surgeons in the county, but I think what set him a little bit apart was his — I don’t know how to put it — his heart.”

Alan recounted one particularly memorable occasion in which Howard once traded a surgical procedure free of charge with an uninsured patient who was only able to offer two dozen cookies and a Diet Pepsi in return.

“I think the guy gave him a 12-pack of Diet Pepsi, and I asked Howard (if) he gave him change,” Alan said, laughing. “He wouldn’t brag about his work, but, I mean, the guy was one of the best, if not the best, in the county.”

Medical community mourns loss of ‘brilliant surgeon’

In the days following his ******, longtime colleagues of Dr. Hayashi shared messages of grief and condolences.

Dr. Scott Robertson, who worked alongside Hayashi for more than two decades, said he was one of the most gifted and hardworking people he’s worked with.

“Having worked with a lot of lot of surgeons over my career, a lot of times, many surgeons aren’t a lot of fun to work with,” Robertson told The Tribune. “They may be technically proficient, but sometimes they can be a little bit difficult. But Howard in particular was not only skilled as a clinician, but he was he was really able to demonstrate empathy and have the human understanding that really made him an exceptional physician.”

Sue Andersen, president and CEO of French Hospital Medical Center, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and Marian Regional Medical Center, said Hayashi would be remembered for his compassion and skill.

“The passing of Dr. Howard Hayashi is a profound loss not only for our Dignity Health hospitals, but for the entire Central Coast community,” Andersen said in an email to The Tribune. “He was more than just a brilliant surgeon; he was a compassionate healer, a dedicated mentor, and a true pillar of our community.”

“His warmth, and commitment to his patients, and his exceptional surgical skill earned him the deep respect and affection of everyone who knew him,” Andersen continued. “The void he leaves behind is immeasurable. His legacy, however, will live on in the countless lives he touched and the countless others who will benefit from the standards of excellence he set.”

In a news release Friday afternoon, San Luis Obispo Mayor Erica Stewart ordered flags in the city to be lowered to half-staff from Friday morning until sunset on Sunday in honor of Dr. Hayashi.

A celebration of Dr. Hayashi’s life will be held at Thousand Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach on Saturday, Nov. 16 from noon to 4 p.m. Interested parties can RSVP to *****@*****.tld.

In lieu of flowers or money, the family requests donations be made to a local charity of your choice.

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#Beloved #SLO #County #doctor #brilliant #surgeon #community #pillar #*****

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