Howard Haruo Hayashi

Howard Haruo Hayashi   

July 30, 1955 - October 27, 2024  

Howard Hayashi was born into the third generation of a family with deep roots in Arroyo Grande, starting from his grandfather who immigrated from Japan as a farm worker in the early 1920’s. Howard was the second son of five boys raised by Haruo and Rose Hayashi. He and his brothers worked hard on the family ranch while excelling at academics, sports and all things social at school. Howard was a stand-out baseball shortstop and was drafted by the SF Giants minor league team when he graduated Arroyo Grande High School in 1973. But he knew he wanted to become a physician and, after graduating from UC Irvine, Howard attended UC Davis Medical School. He completed a general surgery residency, where he was a protégé of one of the leading trauma surgeons in the United States. He turned down a fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to return home to start a solo practice in 1989.

With his engaging personality, surgical expertise and nonstop availability, Dr. Hayashi quickly established himself as the busiest surgeon in the county. He never turned a patient away and always went the extra mile. After he fell asleep and wrecked his car driving to yet another hospital, he would call his father or brothers when the need arose to chauffeur him in the middle of the night. He was one of the founding members of the Associated Surgeons of San Luis Obispo and in 1997 he recruited his younger brother Edwin to join the practice. Howard and Eddie were a formidable team in the OR, performing an exceptionally broad range of surgeries. Together, they could complete (often in less time) complex cases that are usually handled only at university hospital centers. Howard was a key figure in establishing a countywide trauma center at Sierra Vista Hospital in 2010 and served as its Director for nearly 15 years. As a general surgeon, Howard interacted with nearly everyone in the medical community and he was legendary for his expertise, work ethic and approachability.

Besides his noteworthy professional accomplishments , Howard was remarkable for his ability to connect with people. He treated patients, staff and colleagues with unfailing kindness and respect; pretension and arrogance were abhorrent to him. He never sought attention, but his infectious smile could light up a room and his bear hugs conveyed how much he loved you. When there were after-hours emergencies, Howard would bring ice cream or order in pizza for the staff who had to stay late. He made house calls, accepted chocolate chip cookies and Diet Pepsi as payment and might show up at midnight, but you knew he never forgot that he promised to be there. He deflected praise or thanks, often with the line “of course, you’re family!” Of course, so many of us were blessed to be considered family by Howard. Countless people in our community have been touched by his compassion and dedication.

Howard always had a special place in his heart for a beautiful nurse from Boston whom he met at Sierra Vista in 1989. He married Stephanie Stapleton and adopted her young son in 2003. They raised Michael amidst the extended Hayashi family, including three generations of cousins, aunts and uncles, enjoying sports, music and barbecues at the ranch. Howard had a wide range of interests and talents. He was an accomplished fisherman, baker, potter, woodworker, snowboarder and guitarist. He loved to compete with (and beat) his brothers at any and all of these activities. To celebrate his birthday, every year Howard would complete a triathlon, outpacing Michael or whoever had the misfortune to tag along. He built a pickle ball court behind his house and the only time he could maybe enjoy losing was to his niece Lauren. One of his favorite activities was listening to live music; he and Eddie sponsored a musical theatre show at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center every year.

Howard faced his pancreatic cancer diagnosis in early 2024 with his characteristic grit and  optimism. He continued caring for his patients even during grueling chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In May, Howard traveled with his brothers and their families to Florida to chase alligators and attend his niece’s medical school graduation. Throughout this year, Howard was buoyed by the tremendous outpouring of support from family, friends and community. A special thank-you goes to Anne Boos. Most of all, he was supported by the unwavering love and efforts of Stephanie and Michael. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his closest family, on October 27.

Howard was predeceased by his mother Rose, father Haruo and brother Robert. He is survived by his older brother John and his wife Leslie, their children Allyson and Jana (Luke) and their grandsons Lincoln and Dax; younger brother Alan and his wife Kim and their children Colin and Kobe; youngest brother Edwin and his wife Dr. Janet Chen and their children Jordan (Eunjee) and Lauren; and, cousin Joyce and her husband Dr. Randy Safarik and their son Jason. The extended Hayashi family also includes much-loved Ikeda and Kobara cousins throughout Arroyo Grande and the Satakes in Mountain View, CA.

Words cannot describe Howard’s impact on all the people he touched and the hole he leaves in our lives now that he is gone. May his magnanimous heart and altruistic service inspire us all to do better for each other. A celebration of his life will be held at Thousand Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach on Saturday November 16 from noon to 4pm. Please RSVP to celebratedrh@gmail.com if you plan to attend. In lieu of flowers or koden, the family requests donations be made to a local charity of your choice. Dr. Hayashi would appreciate that any funds benefit members within our community.

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