Frank Shankwitz, the co-founder of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, has passed away at the age of 77.
RELATED STORIES:Â HU Exclusive: Giving You The Keys To The 2018 Make A Wish Foundation Gala
His wife, Kitty Shankwitz, confirmed the news in a statement to the New York Times and said Shankwitz died last month in their home in Prescott, Arizona. Kitty told the publication that her husband was battling esophageal cancer before his death. As reported by MSN, the family left the following statement on Facebook.
“Frank’s passing has created a loss in our lives that will take time to heal. However, we are comforted knowing that the legacy he left will continue to carry on in all those who knew him. The number of lives he touched throughout the world with the creation of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his career in law enforcement, his service in the Air Force, as well as the impact he made through all the other organizations he gave his time to in recent years, is a testament to the man he was”
RELATED STORIES:Â Boxing Legend Leon Spinks Passes Away At 67 After Battling Cancer
The foundation began in 1980 after while Frank worked as an Arizona Department of Public Safety officer and his colleagues banded together to make a 7-year-old boy’s dream come true. He retired in 1996 but continued to make a child’s wish come true every 34 minutes in the United States.
In a statement, Make-A-Wish wrote, “Make-A-Wish is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Frank Shankwitz. Thanks to all our generous founders, more than 500,000 children with critical illnesses worldwide have had the chance to experience the long-lasting, life-changing benefits of a wish.”