Enrique Oscar Santacana

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Enrique Oscar Santacana of Raleigh, North Carolina on October 23, 2023 at the age of 71. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 45 years, Marilyn; daughters, Jacqueline Kirkpatrick (Craig) and Christina Peel (Rett); and granddaughter, Paloma Kirkpatrick, all of Raleigh. He will also be dearly missed by his sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and numerous friends.

Enrique was born in Cuba and grew up in Puerto Rico. He graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in Electrical Engineering, and went on to obtain a Master of Engineering degree in Electric Power Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University, where he was awarded the coveted distinction of Fuqua Scholar.

After a long and influential career in the electric power industry, Enrique retired from ABB in 2015, where he began in 1977 and held a variety of key management positions, eventually leading the company as President and CEO of ABB Inc. and Region Manager of ABB North America. Over the course of his career, he was a member of the esteemed Business Roundtable, where he served as Vice Chair of its Sustainable Growth Initiative and influenced policy decisions in Washington; served on the U.S. Department of Energy’s Electricity Advisory Committee; and sat on the Board of Governors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, where he was a member of the Executive Committee.

Enrique was passionate about his family and had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, the arts, world travel and athletics. His retirement was filled with days of golf, reading, family evenings on the patio with a glass of red wine in hand, and watching his beloved sports teams (Duke Basketball, Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers).

Friends are welcome to attend a memorial for Enrique at the family home on Saturday, October 28th between 4:00pm and 7:00pm.

Donations in Enrique’s memory may be made to the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University, to support ongoing research in the fight against glioblastoma and other deadly brain cancers. Checks should be made payable to Tisch Brain Tumor Center and sent to The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, DUMC Box 3624, Durham, NC 27710, or online via https://www.gifts.duke.edu/dukehealth/?designation=3912597.

Service arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.