Bob Rybicki, director of operations, finance and personnel at Church Divininty School of the Pacific and
Assisting Clergy at Grace Cathedral, died suddenly at Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco Sept. 3. He was 65.
The cause of death was not announced.
In Chicago, Ryibicki was active in the fight against AIDS during the early years of the epidemic.
An executive with more than 25 years of experience leading non-profits, Rybicki also had a consulting business, R and P Associates, LLC, for the past two years. Prior to his position at the divinity school, Rybicki served as vice president for programs and services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation from 2010-2014.
A Roman Catholic priest serving urban congregations earlier in his life, Rybicki was received as an Episcopal priest in 2014.
Rybicki attended Loyola University in Chicago and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, and was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1977. He had a master of arts in communications and public administration from the University of Illinois.
During his time in Chicago, he was not openly gay, but many in the community knew he was not just an outsider who cared, but an insider who fought for his own community despite the anti-gay pressures of the Catholic leadership.
During his career in Chicago, Rybicki was a priest; the director of Bonaventure House, one of the first residences in Chicago for people impacted by AIDS; director of clinical programs at Howard Brown Health Center ( now Howard Brown Health ); and vice-president at the Chicago Department of Public Health, where he oversaw all public health services for people living with HIV/AIDS, according to his official obituary.
In California, he served as CEO of Shanti, Youth and Family Enrichment Services ( now StarVista ) and the National Brain Tumor Foundation, and vice president for programs and services at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
Rybicki is survived by his husband of eight years, Lee Ng, a health and fitness professional. Rybicki is also survived by an extended family in Chicago including his cousins, Claude Foreit, Michael Foreit, David Foreit and their families, and by Lee's extended family in Singapore.
In a letter to colleagues, W. Mark Richardson, president and dean of the divinity school, said "During his short time with us at CDSP, Bob enlivened our entire community with his passion for leading and teaching about ways to make positive change, his optimism, and his willingness to do any job, no matter how mundane."
In an email, Barbara Kimport, who was the interim CEO at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation when Bob joined that organization, said, "What is true for all of us who knew and worked with Bob is that when you were with him, you always wanted to be your best self and do your best work. He imbued this in us all of us through his exceedingly supportive and kind manner. He and Lee bring out the best in us."
Kyriell Noon, senior director of programs what at Glide Memorial Church and a colleague at the AIDS Foundation, said on his Facebook page, "Bob was a truly gentle man, charismatic, compassionate, and funny as hell. To me he was boss, mentor, teacher, friend, and I already miss him. My heart breaks for all of us who knew and loved him, but especially for his husband, the great love of his life, Lee, who meant the world to him. His life work was about compassion, from his time as a Catholic priest in the inner-city to his work to care for HIV-positive GBT men in Chicago to disadvantaged youth on the peninsula, to hiring a displaced PhD candidate with an uncertain future in SF. He changed my life and that of so many others and I will honor his memory by continuing his legacy."
Tim Patriarca, a friend and former colleague at the AIDS Foundation, said in an email, "Bob was a gracious leader, and he exemplified integrity, compassion and social justice. He had an easy style and a wry wit that made me along with so many others love working with him. He dedicated his entire life—first as a priest and then as a public servant—to bettering others. I miss him dearly."
Another AIDS foundation co-worker, Tim Ryan, RN, MSN, former director of nursing at SFAF, said in an email, "Bob was a man of great vision, compassion and tremendous faith.He was one of the kindest people I have ever met, worked with and knew. He will be greatly missed by all of the people whose lives he has influenced and touched!"
At press time, the circumstances surrounding Rybicki's death remain unclear.
Through a spokesperson, Rebecca Wilson, whose firm Canticle Communications, represents the divinity school, said, "Bob's husband has asked us to say simply that Bob died suddenly."
Based on information posted on a Caring Bridge website ( www.caringbridge.org/visit/bobrybicki ), Rybicki said he'd spent a total of 5 weeks at Kaiser Hospital beginning in late May. He had two operations, the first unsuccessful, which caused him to spend several days in intensive care The second operation was successful, Rybicki wrote, and on July 4, he was discharged from Kaiser and went to the Jewish Home, a skilled nursing facility. He was readmitted to Kaiser, where he died.
In a letter to to colleagues , divinity school president Mark Richardson, said that although Bob "had been ill since last May, we had every hope and indication that he was recovering and might even be able to return to work part-time this fall."
Courtesy the Bay Area Reporter.
