Thomas T.K Kao

Thomas Teh- Ken Kao was born on Dec 21, 1918 in Chekiang, China. He was the youngest son of Sen Shiang Kao 高升祥, and Shiang Fen Wang 王香芬. He had two older brothers and two older sisters. Thomas earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Chekiang University in Agricultural Economics in 1943. Thomas married Minnin Hsia on November 12, 1945 in Chun-King, China. They had three children; two sons William and John, and one daughter, Anne. He also had one grandson Kevin, four grand daughters: Grace,Stephanie, Angela, and Monica. He also had two great grandsons, Nathan and Caleb.

Career wise, Thomas was a very successful diplomat working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China for 40 years. He worked as a diplomat in several countries: Peru, Chile, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Washington, DC in the US. He was extremely intelligent, and the fastest telegraph operator/translator in Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Thomas became a US citizen on June 28, 1995. He was a devoted Christian, and after his retirement at age 70, he devoted many hours studying the bible daily, and often lead group bible studies at the Home of Christ Church in Cupertino .

His favorite pastimes were investing in stocks, writing social issues articles, playing mahjong with family members, watching and singing Chinese opera. He was also an active Chekiang University alumni and was elected as alumni president.

Thomas Teh-Ken Kao passed away peacefully on February 24, 2015 in Fremont Hills Assisted Living, Fremont, CA at the age of 96. He was deeply loved by family and friends.