Mayor Erica A. Stewart has ordered the flags flown on City property to be lowered to half-staff on November 1, 2024 until sunset on Sunday, November 3, 2024 in mourning of the passing of Dr. Howard Hayashi, a beloved Central Coast surgeon who made a significant impact on the San Luis Obispo community and lives of many community members.

Dr. Hayashi died peacefully at home, surrounded by his closest family, on October 27. He was 68 years old. He 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 1920s.

He graduated Arroyo Grande High School in 1973 with aspirations of becoming a physician. He then graduated from UC Irvine and UC Davis Medical School, where he completed a general surgery residency. He turned down a fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to return to the Central Coast to start a solo practice in 1989. For the next 40 years, he would be a cherished community member and surgeon.

Dr. Hayashi was a key figure in establishing a countywide trauma center in 2010 at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center – now Adventist Health Sierra Vista – in San Luis Obispo city and served as its director for nearly 15 years. As a general surgeon, Dr. Hayashi interacted with nearly everyone in the medical community and he was legendary for his expertise, work ethic and genuine care for all of those around him.

Throughout his years of service, he impacted countless lives, exemplifying unwavering dedication to humanistic, compassionate patient care inspiring both colleagues and patients with his kindness and expertise. Among his numerous contributions to our community's healthcare, he was honored as Physician of the Year in 2018 at Sierra Vista.

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.

A celebration of his life will be held at Thousand Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach on Saturday November 16 from noon to 4 p.m. 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. To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Per Section 3.1 of San Luis Obispo’s City Council Policies and Procedures, the mayor may order flags flown on City property to be lowered to half-staff in mourning for any member of the community designated to have made significant contributions to the City of San Luis Obispo, in accordance with recognized customs or practices not inconsistent with state and federal law.