John Malcolm Visbal

October 4, 1930 - October 5, 2023

Born in San Francisco to Marie Lynch and Efraim Visbal. Mal grew up in a loving family in Sacramento and San Francisco with his parents Marie and Walter Meyerkamp, and his sister Sharon.

Mal graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1948 and the University of San Francisco in 1952. Upon graduation from USF, he was commissioned into the U.S. Army as a Second Lieutenant and served as a Battery Commander with the Air Defense Artillery at Fort Funston and the Presidio of San Francisco until his release from Active Duty in 1954.

Mal met his late wife, Barbara McCulloch when they were both college students, she was “up the hill” at Lone Mountain, and he was “down the hill” at USF. They were married from 1953, until Barbara’s death in 2006. As a Certified Public Accountant, Mal spent time in smaller firms and ultimately became a partner with Grant Thornton where he stayed until his retirement.

Mal and Barbara were very social and loved to travel, most especially with their dearest lifelong friends “The Bastille Group”: with founding members Jim and Sue Meader, Tom and Kathleen McDermott and Marianne and Gene Ray. Mal was always involved in his local parishes, particularly St. Raymond in Menlo Park where he was a lector, a member of the parish council and worked with the CCD youth group. He was involved in many Catholic organizations. Mal was a Knight of Magistral Grace in Obedience of the Sovereign Order of Malta. He also served on the Serra High School Parents’ Board of Education from 1976 to 1979 and served as the Board Chairman for the 1978-79 school year. Mal has served as a member of the Board of Regents of St. Ignatius College Preparatory; a Trustee at the University of San Francisco and as a Director with the Gellert Foundation.

A great joy in Mal’s life was being able to reunite with his father’s family in Colombia.

Mal enjoyed many trips to visit his brothers and sisters, nieces, and nephews. Mal was preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; his daughter, Victoria; and his grandsons Joseph Richard Visbal, Jonathan Malcolm Visbal and John Michael Visbal. He is survived by his son Robert (Debbie); son John (Leslie); daughter Erin; and son in law Jon Frick; and by grandchildren Julianne (Stephen) O’Brien; Kristin Visbal; Jeannine Visbal; Kyle Visbal; DJ Visbal; Mark Visbal; and by his precious great-grandsons, John and James O’Brien.

Services will be at Saint Dominic’s in San Francisco on Friday 27 October (Rosary at 9:30 am; Requiem Mass at 10:30 am). In keeping with Mal’s devotion to Catholic education, in lieu of flowers please consider a donation in his name to scholarship programs at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, Junipero Serra High School, Notre Dame High School Belmont or St. Ignatius College Preparatory.