Dr. Fabio Andrés Rodriguez Cely, 85, passed away peacefully on August 19, 2024, surrounded by Olga Inés, his wife of 61 years, and his adoring family.
Fabio was born on January 9, 1939, in the town of Sogamoso, in the Andean mountains of Colombia. He graduated from Sugamuxi high school with honors, and moved to Bogotá to pursue a medical degree in the school of medicine of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. During this time, he met the love of his life, Olga Inés Arenas Abella, whom he married in 1963. After graduating in 1966, he won a Kellogg Foundation fellowship and moved with his young family to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to pursue a degree in Biochemistry at the University of Michigan. There, they enjoyed growing their family while developing meaningful and lasting friendships.
In 1973, they returned to Colombia and he began his career in academia, a lifelong love of teaching biochemistry to medical students at three prestigious medical schools in Colombia, including the Universidad Nacional, the Colegio Mayor del Rosario, and the Universidad del Bosque. Through his teaching in countless courses and conferences in Colombia, Fabio was an active collaborator of many medical societies promoting the importance of the basic sciences in medicine. During that time, Fabio was also the Medical Director of two pharmaceutical companies in Colombia, first at Boehringer Ingelheim and later at Upjohn S.A.
After retiring, Fabio and Olga moved to the United States in 2003 to be closer to their children and grandchildren in Kansas City. Shortly thereafter, he surprised his family by joining the school of medicine at the University of Missouri in Kansas City, where he enjoyed a second career teaching basic sciences to new generations of medical students for another 11 years. He referred to this period as “the best part of my career”. Fabio loved his students. One of his greatest satisfactions was meeting former students, who often expressed gratitude for the positive role he had played in shaping their careers. It would fill him with joy to hear their stories of success in the different medical disciplines.
Along with his passion for his profession, the center of Fabio’s life was his family. His love for knowledge and experiences had no limits. His many interests and hobbies included the love for history, music, photography, nature and sports, all of which he instilled in his children and live on in them to this day. Music especially, was a central theme in his life. With his guitar and harmonica never far from his side, he was the life of the party, delighting all at any opportunity, with boleros and classical pieces. In addition, Fabio and Olga always immersed themselves in the cultural scene, enjoying to the fullest the many diverse musical and theatrical offerings in the Kansas City area.
Fabio’s immense love for his native Colombia was a constant in his life. He relished sharing memories and stories of his home country with family, taking any opportunity to spread his profound knowledge of its history and culture. A treasured gift to his grandchildren was inculcating in them their pride of their Colombian roots and fostering their continued connection and love for his country.
One of Fabio’s most endearing virtues was being present in the lives of his friends and family, always finding time to be actively engaged with them. Fabio was the consummate gentleman, the enduring friend and the most respected father and grandfather. He treated everybody, without exception, with the utmost respect and dignity, giving the greatest importance to politeness and kindness. To all those who had the good fortune of knowing and admiring him, the legacy of his exceptional life will live on.
Fabio is survived by his loving wife Olga Arenas de Rodriguez and his adoring seven children and their families: son Andrés F. Rodriguez Arenas, daughter Olga C. Rodriguez and her husband Derek H. Goebel, daughter Diana P. Rodriguez and her husband Carlos A. Piedrahita, daughter Sandra L. Rodriguez and her husband Carlos E. Acosta, daughter Lynda M. Rodriguez, son Fabio A. Rodriguez and his wife Renee Couey, son Carlos G. Rodriguez and his wife Eva Durakova, and his thirteen grandchildren: Alejandro, Sofia, Diego, Isabela, Juan Pablo, Felipe, Alara, Gabriela, Joaquín, Bora, Cristina, Hana, and Tomás, and a beloved extended family.
For those who wish to further honor the memory of Fabio Andrés, and in lieu of flowers, you may do so by making a donation to the following site https://gofund.me/341f024a
