Wan peacefully left this world on September 21, 2020 at 3:45 pm at the young age of 78 with his wife and children at his bedside after having a massive stroke on the afternoon of September 19.
He studied Agricultural Chemistry at National Taiwan University, graduating in 1964. He arrived in the United States in 1965 to continue his studies, earning his M.S. in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 1970 from Emory University. In Emory University, he also received the Lord Jesus as his Savior. Wan always felt blessed and grateful for the life he lived. He was proud of the research he conducted during his postdoctoral fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, which was nationally recognized as a breakthrough in the prevention of skin cancer. He went to Chicago to direct cancer research at Northwestern University Medical School in 1971.
In 1972, Wan and Cecilia married, and Wan decided to go to medical school at North Texas University Medical School. After graduating in 1977, he did his medical post-graduate studies at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He started his private practice in 1978, specializing in pain management, which incorporated Eastern and Western medicine. Cecilia managed the medical office and was his partner for every step of his personal and professional journey. He loved helping others and cared deeply for his patients. He retired in 2010.
Wan was a devoted husband, always attentive and sometimes stubborn. Cecilia considers it a blessing to have been married to him. While they sometimes had disagreements, Wan always worked hard to make it work. They ballroom danced as a hobby, which imitated their relationship: a dreamy waltz to a sensuous salsa to a playful jitterbug. They always strived to be in rhythm together through life’s ups and downs, helping each other through missteps. He will always be loved and forever be missed by his wife.
He raised his son Tim and daughter Minna in New Jersey and loved them very much. Wan and Cecilia moved to California in 2012 to be close to their children and grandchildren. As he played his role as “dad,” “daddy,” “gong-gong,” and “ye-ye,” he was simply the best – always loving, sweet, and selfless. He will always be loved and forever be missed by his children and grandchildren.
He was also a caring friend and relative, always wanting to reach out to those he knew from all steps of life to share a story or to just check in. He will always be loved and forever be missed by his friends and relatives.