Sister Gretchen Gilroy, former chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Centers (now Hawaii Medical Centers), died Dec. 4 at St. Joseph Health Center in Syracuse, N.Y., after a brief illness. A native of Utica, N.Y., she was 73.

Gilroy was appointed chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center-West in Ewa Beach in 1990, when she arrived in Hawaii. In 1996, she also became chief executive officer of St. Francis Medical Center in Liliha, overseeing both medical centers until 2001.

She served as chief sponsorship officer until 2003, when she returned to the Sisters of St. Francis' Motherhouse in Syracuse to become the chairperson of the Sponsorship Board. She continued to serve until a few weeks ago when she became seriously ill.

“;Sister Gretchen always loved a challenge. ... Under Sister Gretchen's leadership, the (St. Francis-West) medical center steadily grew with new programs to serve the Leeward communities, including the building of the adjacent, five-story Clinical Service Center,”; said Sister Beatrice Tom, former St. Francis Healthcare System chief executive officer and current chief administrator of Our Lady of Keaau.

“;She loved golf and enjoyed playing the game at the many beautiful golf courses in Hawaii. Our friendship goes back 50 years, being in the novitiate together. ... I will miss her dearly,”; Tom added.

Gilroy is survived by her sister, Molly Gilroy Boehlert of Webster, N.Y., and nieces and nephews.

A special memorial Mass will be held Jan. 12 at 11:30 a.m. at the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel on the Hawaii Medical Center West campus, 91-2141 Fort Weaver Road in Ewa Beach.