John Alan Sabolich, CPO, owner and clinical director, Scott Sabolich Prosthetics & Research, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passed away on July 23. He was 68 years old.
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Sabolich was a graduate of the New York University O&P program and a pioneer in prosthetics innovation, as the creator of the Sabolich Sense-of-Feel System and developer of innovative designs for artificial limbs, including the patented Sabolich Socket. In 2016, in a webcast reflecting on its 30 years of advocacy, Peter Thomas, JD, general counsel of the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) said, “NAAOP would not have formed without pioneers such as John Sabolich, CPO….” Sabolich was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1993, which honors Oklahomans who have given outstanding service to the state during their lifetime, and he founded the Limbs for Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing prosthetic care to individuals who cannot otherwise afford it and raising awareness of the challenges that face people with amputations..
Sabolich’s father, Lester, opened The Sabolich Prosthetic & Research Center, Oklahoma, in 1947. John Sabolich worked with his father until Lester’s retirement. In 1994, the business was sold to NovaCare, becoming NovaCare-Sabolich, and was later sold to Hanger. John’s son, Scott, later opened Scott Sabolich Prosthetics & Research, where his father continued to practice.
Services will be held July 28 at 2 p.m. CT at Crossings Community Church, Chapel, Oklahoma City. The family asked for donations to the  Limbs for Life Foundation in lieu of flowers.
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