Dr. Howard E. Denbo
Mar 20, 1930 - May 24, 2020

Dr. Howard E. Denbo passed away at home in San Francisco on Memorial Day weekend, Sunday, May 24, surrounded by his family. He was born in 1930 in South Bend, Indiana to Dr. Howard A. Denbo and Grace M. Denbo.

Dr. Denbo was a Vascular Surgeon in San Francisco where he began his practice in 1965. He primarily operated at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital where he was Chief of Surgery from 1982-1985.

Upon graduating from high school in 1948, in anticipation of a potential military service draft, Dr. Denbo decided to join the US Army rather than accept a scholarship to Carleton College in Minnesota. He spent a year training at Camp Hood, Texas, where he attained the rank of Corporal, after which he began his studies at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana in the Fall of 1949.

After his freshman year at DePauw, Dr. Denbo was unexpectedly recalled to active duty in September of 1950. He was sent to Fort Carson, CO, for training and then deployed to Korea. The voyage to Korea was a "miserable" experience, featuring endless hours on an overloaded transport ship, but it fortuitously included a brief stop at San Francisco's famed Fort Mason. Dr. Denbo was captivated by San Francisco's magnificent beauty, and he promised himself that if he survived the War, he would one day return to San Francisco as his home. Dr. Denbo landed in Pusan, Korea and was sent to the front lines where he spent 11 months as a combat medic. He was selected to lead a medical unit along with 12 other enlisted men, caring for the health of 1,300 US soldiers for 8 months. In 1951 he finally returned to the US and was discharged as a Sergeant First Class. In 1962, he was recalled to active duty for a short time during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He ultimately retired in 1968 as a Captain from the US Army Reserves. Dr. Denbo's distinguished service to his country was one of his proudest accomplishments.

Dr. Denbo graduated from DePauw University in 1954, after which he completed medical school at The University of Iowa in 1958 where he was elected President of the medical school student body. Then, fulfilling his promise to return to San Francisco, Dr. Denbo completed his medical internship at Southern Pacific Hospital, then his surgical residency at the Highland Alameda County Hospital. He also completed fellowships in Vascular Surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Boston and at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, under heart surgery pioneers Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. Denton Cooley and Dr. Walter Samuel "Sam" Henly, who remained a close friend.

Dr. Denbo had many hobbies, but none captured his interest as much as private aviation. He received his private pilot's license at age 16, then his instructor's license at 19. For the next 30 years, he shared his passion for flying with student aviators, including several years of instructing at Crissy Field in the Presidio. He often spoke about taking off toward the Golden Gate and banking north over the beautiful Marin Headlands. Dr. Denbo ultimately achieved every private aviation rating, including helicopters and gliders. One of his fondest memories was when he joined a Flying Physicians expedition, piloting a twin engine Piper Comanche into Alaska with his parents, using the Alaska Highway as his navigational guide.

Dr. Denbo leaves behind his wife Lana, sons Drew and Todd (his "bodyguards"), daughter-in-law Leigh, two granddaughters Taylor and Sara, Lisa Ann Schoeller Blackwell, who has been like a daughter, and his sister Mae J. Hillman from Mission Viejo, Ca. He also leaves behind a fantastic group of friends, relatives and colleagues who he adored and with whom he stayed in close contact.

Dr. Denbo has been interred in the US Military Cemetery in Dixon, CA. Friends and family will be notified of a memorial service at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, any donations may be made to honor Dr. Denbo's legacy via a fund created by his family that will benefit Saint Francis Hospital in San Francisco, a place where he dedicated his professional career and much of his life:

Dr. Howard E. Denbo Memorial Fund
The Saint Francis Foundation
900 Hyde Street, Suite 1208
San Francisco, Ca 94109

Sources: Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com and FindAGrave.com

04/05/2025 EJS

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/210564621/howard-edward-denbo