ROBERT JAMES FAIRCHILD, M.D.

1927-2018

Robert James Fairchild, M.D., age 90, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away peacefully on March 21, 2018. He was born in Gallup, NM and raised in West Texas, the third of four boys. He was a proud Texas Tech Red Raider alumni, then attended Tulane University where he met the love of his life, Shirley. He joined the Air Force and continued his residency in Louisiana and Texas before settling in Pasadena, Texas to start a practice in Anesthesiology. He was one of the original 14 founding physicians that built Pasadena Bayshore Hospital. He enjoyed many hobbies including flying model airplanes, building boats and sailing them on Clear Lake and constructing model train sets. After a family vacation to Colorado, he fell in love with snow skiing and built a house in Frisco, CO that the entire family has enjoyed for over 30 years. In his later years he took up bicycling and hiking the Colorado mountains, including 2 high adventure Boy Scout trips. A fanatical Houston Oilers football fan, he could be found every Sunday on the couch watching the games.

He raised his 6 children with a strong Catholic faith along with several neighborhood families that remain lifelong friends. He led by example, never raised his voice in anger and “Dang” was the strongest curse word he ever uttered. His quiet, compassionate and calming personality earned him the respect and admiration of his patients, colleagues and all those that met him.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Shirley; children, Ann (Kevin), Paula (Rusty), Bob (Kathy), Teresa (Edy), John and Kathleen (Bryon); 11 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.

Our gratitude goes out to the entire staff at Colonial Oaks at Vista as well as Grace Hospice for the compassionate care they provided over the years and for keeping him comfortable in his last months.

The family will receive guests on Monday, March 26, 2018 from 5:00pm to 8:00pm with a Rosary being recited at 6:00pm in the Chapel of Grand View Funeral Home, 8501 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 at 10:00am at St. Christopher Catholic Church, 8150 Park Place Blvd., Houston, TX 77017. Rite of Committal will follow at Grand View Memorial Park.

The family requests no flowers please but donations may be made in his memory to the Alzheimer’s Association.