George Kabakovich

Dr. Holly Jean Kabkovich, Do, MPH 1958-1995

"Dr. Holly" (as she preferred to be called) was an accomplished physician who left an indelible mark in both the medical and social service communities. Her professional credentials included her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from Michigan State University school of Medicine, as well as her Masters degree in Public Health/Health Services Administration from Harvard University. She had established a successful family practice with an emphasis on women’s health issues, and had been on the medical staff of several area hospitals, including Edward Hospital in Naperville. Her most recent appointment had been to the position of Medical Director of the River North Family Health Center, an affiliate of the Central DuPage Health System.

Dr. Holly approached her patients with empathy and concern for their total being. She took the time to inquire how life was treating them, and to listen to their answers. An assistant who worked with Dr. Holly said that “she listened with her heart as well as her mind.” It was her heart no doubt, that led her to Hesed House in Aurora, a shelter for the homeless. There in 1990, she established a two-bed clinic which she staffed with medical volunteers and supplied with donated medications and equipment. Each Wednesday night, until last July, Dr. Holly was the doctor on duty, often working well into the early of the morning.

It had been said that a person’s character can be seen most clearly by watching how they live. If that is true, then Holly Kabakovich was not only bright and eager and enthusiastic about life; she was also other-centered, compassionate, and giving. What Holly Kabakovich achieved in terms of her education and her intelligence is significant in compassion to her achievements in character. Holly was about the business of making a difference in her world, and she did just that.