Luz Cheng Te

Dr. Luz Cheng Te

Dr. Luz Cheng Te passed away peacefully on December 4, 2025. Dr. Te was 96 years old and lived a full and happy life, filled with family and friends. She was born in the Philippines to her parents Tam Say and Cheng Yit, a businessman in Naga City. She was the second youngest of six children and the first physician in the family. She was educated in Manila at Chiang Kai-Shek High School, where she made many lifelong friends, and attended both college and medical school at the University of Santo Tomas. Upon graduation from medical school, Dr. Te journeyed to New York to complete her medical training at Brooklyn Women’s Hospital in Obstetrics and Gynecology. During this time, Dr. Te married her loving husband, Dr. Fernando Te, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Te worked as a dedicated fellowship-trained Obstetrician and Gynecologist in Brooklyn. She served with dedication and passion to an underserved community, first at Sunset Park Medical Clinic and later at Lutheran Medical Center, rising to lead as Medical Director of the Gynecology Clinic, where she also trained generations of residents for over 38 years.

Dr. Te was also an exceptional mother of four. She settled, raised her family, and lived for 38 years in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. With her husband Fernando, they were known for their exceptional hospitality and generosity, including their famous annual Christmas Eve party. Dr. Te leaves behind a very large network of family and friends from Manila to New York and everywhere in between. As a close friend, mentor, and guiding light to many, she was a founding board member of the Philippine Chinese American Medical Association and the Philippine Chinese American Association. Many treasured "Drs. Fernando and Luz's" company, especially their "mah-jong gang" of friends from high school who also settled in New York and with whom she played mah-jong every weekend—friends who became part of her extended family.

After retirement, Dr. Te and her husband moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, to be closer to her daughter Shirley Yim and her husband, Dr. Gregory Yim, and their grandchildren.

Dr. Te is survived by her four children: Dr. Alexis Te (Susan), Shirley Yim (Dr. Gregory Yim), Andrew Te (Lillian), and Chester Te (Cynthia); ten grandchildren: Timothy Te (Mofei), Joshua Te (Dorothy), Dr. Kaitlyn Yim (Austen), Dr. Henry Connor Yim, Dr. Rebecca Yim, Dr. Austen Te, Kimberly Te, Nicholas Te, Kiersten Te, and Sophia Te; and two great-grandchildren: Elijah and Isabella.

Funeral services for Dr. Te were held in a small private family ceremony at Hawaiian Memorial Park Cemetery on December 30, 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Drs. Fernando and Luz Te Charitable Foundation, which supports education and research programs. She will be greatly missed.

Donations to the Drs. Fernando and Luz Te Charitable Foundation:

Address checks to:

Renaissance Charitable Foundation

with memo: "Drs. Fernando and Luz Te Charitable Foundation"

Please send to:

Attn: James E. Dy

364 Main Street

Bedminster, NJ 07921