Dr. Lloyd C.M. Tom

Lloyd Tom, M.D., passed away peacefully in his sleep on Friday, September 15, in San Antonio, Texas, after being surrounded with love and family during his final days and hours. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on May 13, 1932, he was the fifth of six children. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Gladys Choy and Hoo Tom, and by his siblings: Harriet, Winifred, Wilfred, Benjamin, and Shirley.

As a young man, Dr. Lloyd Tom earned a B.A. in Chemistry from the University of Cincinnati followed by an M.D. from Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. He did a rotating internship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, IL, and then finished his general surgery residency at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, CA, in 1964. Working as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service, he proudly served his country during the war in Vietnam, where he met his future wife, Ann. Once he volunteered for a special mission by the Montagnards which needed ten surgeons to set up a MASH field hospital. He ended up being helicoptered into a forward firing base in a hot zone in the middle of the jungle. He quickly realized that he was the only surgeon who had volunteered for the mission. The base was soon overrun by the North Vietnamese Army yet somehow, he managed to survive the experience after the marines counter attacked and moved him to safety. When he returned to the states, Dr. Lloyd Tom worked in private practice in Spokane, WA, for three years and then moved on to complete an orthopedic residency in Philadelphia, PA, for four years. He then ran a solo general orthopedic practice in Hilo, HI, for three years. After receiving his board certification, he practiced at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Lloyd Tom balanced a full-time physician’s schedule with raising five children with his wife. Sharing his enthusiasm for medicine, he inspired his three sons to become physicians, while his two daughters followed their mother’s example and became nurses. He loved swimming, reading, writing letters to family and friends, and going to Grand Rounds even after he stopped operating.

Kind, warm-hearted, and generous, Dr. Lloyd Tom practiced self-sacrifice and lived below his means. He did things his own way and did not care about what others thought about him. He enjoyed wearing Hawaiian shirts as they reminded him of his growing up in Hawaii. He liked to keep himself busy with various house projects such as carpentry and making flagstones. Like a big kid himself, he loved children and being silly with them.

Dr. Lloyd Tom is survived by his wife, Ann Tom, of 58 years and his five children: Robert, Jacob, Martha (Aline), Sheila, and Don; his daughters-in-laws and sons-in-laws Carolyn, Howard, Robert McClees, and Judy; his grandchildren: Ashley, Kelsey, Bradley, Elisabeth, Daniel, Ethan, Natalie, Derrick, Kien, and Quinn; and numerous nieces and nephews. He will be greatly missed and long remembered.

The family would like to extend heartfelt thanks to hospice aide Sandra Sarabia and to the other staff at Transcend Hospice and at the Landing at Stone Oaks who provided him with loving care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of your choice.

Our deepest gratitude to all who have supported us during this time of loss.

--Robert, Jacob, Martha (Aline), Sheila, and Don