Kay Tiong Oen

With great sadness we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and brother, Kay T. Oen, DDS, on Thursday, August 29, 2024 in Stamford, Connecticut, after a prolonged illness.

Kay was born in Semarang, Indonesia, and brought up in the Netherlands, Indonesia, and Japan. After graduating from Marist Brothers High School in Kobe, Japan, he attended Columbia College, and Columbia University School of Dentistry. Upon attaining his degree in dentistry, he opened a general dentistry practice in Port Chester, New York, where he also became active in the community as a member and president of the Port Chester-Rye Brook Rotary Club. He was a member of the Board of Trustees, a Fellow, and a Master of the Academy of General Dentistry, an organization dedicated to professional development, continuing education, and advocacy for general dentists. After more than 30 years in private practice, he joined the faculty of New York University School of Dentistry, where he enjoyed teaching and mentoring students from all over the world until his retirement in September 2023.

He is survived by Helen, his wife of 55 years, his son Kenneth and daughter-in-law Jessica of Greenwich, his daughter Karin and son-in-law Jonathan of Singapore, and two grandsons, Derek and Bennett as well as his sisters Kiem and Judy, his brother-in-law Ron, and a large extended family of cousins, nephews, and nieces in Canada, the Netherlands, and Indonesia.

In addition to his devotion to his family and his profession, Kay had lifelong interests in music, art and sports. While in high school in Japan in the 1950s, he played percussion (including bongo drums and maracas) in a class band, studied oil painting, and became an avid fan of sumo wrestling and the Tokyo baseball team the Yomiuri Giants. After moving to New York, he passed these interests on to his children, frequently attending classical and folk music concerts, art museums, and transferring his fan allegiance to the New York Mets.

Throughout his life, he enjoyed swimming as his own daily exercise routine. While he was a practicing dentist in Port Chester, New York, you could always count on him to get his swimming in during lunchtime at the Port Chester YMCA, which was just across the street. Later in life he would swim at the Greenwich YMCA and take daily walks in his neighborhood or at Tod’s Point. He also took a great interest in being the planner and host for family events. This included everything from his kids’ birthday parties and graduation parties to family member milestone birthday parties and family reunions – some involving destination travel, and some enjoying the comforts of home in Greenwich or his sister’s home in Toronto. These comforts always included authentic Chinese and Indonesian food, listening to his well-worn CDs of Hawaiian music, and extended intergenerational chatting punctuated by his laughter and dry wit in equal measure.

Kay will be remembered for his kindness, caring and generosity.

A Memorial Service for Kay will be held on Monday, September 2, 2024 beginning at 1pm at Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, 31 Arch Street, Greenwich, CT. Livestream will be available for the Memorial Service. The link for the service can be found in the "Services" section of the website or visiting https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/c24085853530593