Fran Jabara remembered as man of faith, family

Hundreds of people – friends, family and colleagues – packed St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral on Tuesday night for Fran Jabara’s funeral.

That, as the Very Rev. Paul O’Callaghan said in his eulogy, is a sure sign of a life well-lived.

“We mourn, because he will be missed by so many,” O’Callaghan said. “His contributions being innumerable, the loss is incalculable.”

Jabara was remembered on Tuesday for being a man whose “character was shaped by his faith,” in a service set in the pristine Orthodox cathedral near 13th and Rock.

Jabara died Saturday morning. He was 90.

Of all the titles Jabara held, perhaps the most important one to him was “grandfather,” family members said. His three grandchildren were among the eight casket bearers at the service, in addition to 15 honorary casket bearers.

The St. George Orthodox Cathedral Choir sang during the service, their harmonies reverberating off the arched ceilings.

“God was in everything he did,” O’Callaghan said. “As Harvey (Fran’s son) was telling me the other day, he didn’t get into the car without a prayer. And now his soul ascends to him who was the light and inspiration of his life.”

Jabara found prosperity by multiplying the prosperity of those around him, O’Callaghan said. He said he would be remiss not “to make special mention of the thousands upon thousands of people he impacted for the good.”

“As the saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats,” he said. “His successes literally lifted thousands of others into greater prosperity and success.”

Jabara’s first job out of college was teaching accounting at Wichita State University in 1949. He would teach at the school for another 40 years.

In that time, he founded the Center for Entrepreneurship in 1977, making WSU one of the first colleges in the nation to establish such a school. Jabara Hall on the WSU campus is named in his honor.

He was known across the country and was sought after for his unparalleled business knowledge, friends have said.

Al Higdon, who attended Jabara’s service Tuesday night, said he was an accounting student of Jabara’s. He would later go on to be an executive at Learjet and then co-found Sullivan, Higdon and Sink, one of the largest advertising agencies in the region.

“He was a mentor by what he did and by the way he lived his life, by what he told you,” Higdon said. “He just constantly touched lives.

“He was my neighbor for about 30 years. He would take walks early in the morning, and he would toss the paper up on your porch before any of us got up.”

Jabara’s WSU colleagues said that although he was a savvy businessman, his family always came first.

“Fran first of all loved his family,” said James Rhatigan, who was WSU’s vice president of student affairs and dean of students for 31 years. “He was a really sound businessman, but if he had any meanness in him, you wouldn’t know it. You never saw it.

“He was a kindly and patient man, but that didn’t translate to weakness.”

There will be a brief graveside service at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Old Mission Cemetery, after which there will be a “meal of mercy” at St. George.

“May his memory be eternal, may his example continue to inspire, and may God rest his soul in peace,” O’Callaghan said. “And grant peaceful thoughts and comfort who mourn his loss.”

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Fran Jabara remembered as man of faith, family."