Guillermo R. Sánchez

In honor of a life lived with love. Bill was born Guillermo Rafael Felipe Sánchez y Parladé to Carolina Parladé Buch and Guillermo Sánchez Fornaris on May 1, 1945 in Santiago de Cuba at the Clinica Los Angeles. The eldest of nine children, Bill often shared fond memories of a carefree childhood spent in Cuba- outdoors, riding horses, climbing trees, playing baseball, and spending summers in Cuabitas. He enjoyed these pleasures in good company- with siblings, friends, cousins, aunts and uncles. His elementary and high school education began at the Colegio De La Salle in Santiago where he was educated by Christian Brothers. In the summer of 1960 at the age of 15, he and his family arrived in the United States as Cuban refugees. They would soon settle in South Orange, NJ. Bill graduated from St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School in West New York, New Jersey, run by the De La Salle Christian Brothers. From an early age, Bill was a leader, a characteristic that contributed to him becoming recognized as an outstanding physician, dedicating 42 years to his work in pediatric cardiology. Dr. Sánchez received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Seton Hall University in 1966 and went on to complete his PhD in Biochemistry from Columbia University in 1970. He then obtained a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he worked in the laboratory of soon-to-be Nobel Prize winner Christian B. Anfinsen, researching protein structure and function. Continuing his studies, he began medical school in the fall of 1972. At this time, he met fellow Columbia graduate student, Earline McWherter. They were married in 1973 at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in South Orange, NJ. In 1976, Bill earned his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He moved from New York City to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife and two young daughters to begin his pediatric residency training and pediatric cardiology fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In 1980, Dr. Sánchez and his family relocated to Cherry Hill, NJ, when he accepted a position as Attending Pediatric Cardiologist at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, PA, where he was also appointed Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Temple University School of Medicine. In 1985, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Temple. From 1986 - 1995, Dr. Sánchez was Head of the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and an Attending Pediatric Cardiologist at Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, Camden, NJ and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at UMDNJ/Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine. In 1995, Dr. Sánchez became an Attending Pediatric Cardiologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. In 2005, he was appointed Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. In this role, Dr. Sánchez served as Medical Director of Pediatric Cardiology, South Jersey, for CHOP, a position he held until the time of his death. Dr. Sánchez was dedicated to his work, expanding pediatric cardiology to southern New Jersey in the late 1980s and early 1990s. His desire was that pediatric patients who required cardiology services would be able to receive excellent care close to home without having to travel miles and across states. A respected physician, Dr. Sánchez’s work led to the development of CHOP Specialty Care Centers in New Jersey locations including Voorhees, Princeton and Atlantic County. Dr. Sánchez was a dedicated teacher and mentor, always willing and desiring to share his knowledge with others. Colleagues were eagerly receptive to his guidance, support and instruction. He developed close relationships with his patients and their families, working tirelessly to deliver the best possible care. In recent years, questions regarding retirement arose, yet Dr. Sánchez’s response remained: “I love what I do and I can provide much needed services to those in need. I will continue to do this as long as I can.” He maintained membership in national societies including as a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology, a Member of the AHA Cardiovascular Disease in the Young Council, and a Member of the American Society of Echocardiography. Dr. Sánchez served as a consultant in pediatric cardiology for multiple hospitals in central and southern New Jersey. On January 7, 2022, while driving to care for his patients at the CHOP Princeton Speciality Care Center at the age of 76, Dr. Sánchez died of natural causes. Bill will always be remembered for his generosity, kindness, curiosity, gentle and compassionate nature, humility and measured approach to life. He was affectionately referred to by many endearing nicknames, including Guillermito, Pops, Billy, and Tio Bill. Bill was a loving and devoted husband and father. He was a trusted sibling, family member, mentor, friend and colleague. His capacity to extend himself to others through words, time, and service was remarkable. In a statement of reflection that was released upon Dr. Sánchez’s death, the Division of Cardiology at CHOP noted: “Bill made many seminal contributions to the field of pediatric cardiology, with examples including description of ectopic atrial tachycardia in children, the risk of heart block in heterotaxy syndrome with left atrial isomerism, and the use of endomyocardial biopsy in children after heart transplantation.” Throughout the years, Bill and his loving wife welcomed four children- Cristina, Marisa, Peter, and Sarah. While raising their children, He served as a little league coach, swam on a Masters Swim Team, and was an active parishioner of Queen of Heaven Catholic Church and School, where he and his wife were Pre-Cana team members for several years. Upon its closing in 2009, Bill and Earline became parishioners at Holy Eucharist Catholic Church. Throughout his lifetime, Bill loved the time he spent with his immediate and extended family. He was an avid and widely-read individual and he nurtured a variety of interests: cars, baseball, NASA and space exploration, kite-flying, drawing, photography, and Cuban music. Bill’s pleasure in travel included annual family vacations to Long Beach Island, NJ for forty years; frequent road trips south to Florida, Arkansas, Texas and Alabama to visit close relatives; trips to the Pacific Northwest, and recent travels to Maine. He also enjoyed international travel to professional conferences, including his latest in May 2019 to attend the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Association for European Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology in Seville, Spain. Bill was predeceased by his parents and survived by his wife of 48 years, Earline; his four children, Cristina Kozette Sánchez-Klein (Paul); Marisa Carolina Sánchez, PhD; Peter Guillermo Sánchez; and Sarah Maria Sánchez, MD; his grandson, Van William Klein; eight siblings, Manuel P. Sánchez (Eileen); M. Carmen Bober (Vincent); Luis R. Sánchez (Anne); Carolina Sánchez Calabrese (Anthony); Pablo J. Sánchez; Maria C. Santoliquido (Joseph); Rosa M. Sánchez Nishikawa (Kenichi) and Magdalena S. Sánchez (William Bowman), and by many cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family, dear friends and colleagues. To those who knew Bill well, he was a beacon and a rock. He will be deeply missed. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica, Lackawanna, NY. https://www.olvbasilica.org/ and Sacred Heart Southern Missions, Walls, MS. https://secure.shsm.org/site/SPageServer/?pagename=homepage Funeral Mass will be live streaming Saturday, 10am. Click on the link below. https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/8823139665