He was born in Lhokseumawe, Sumatra, Indonesia on February 26, 1934 to Jin Khoen Tjioe (father) and Sioe Kie Tjeung (mother). Gim graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College (BS, 1961), American University (MS, 1964), and The University of Pennsylvania (PhD, 1968). He married Sarah Tjioe in 1967 in Philadelphia.
After attending a Methodist missionary school in Indonesia, Gim courageously sailed for America at the young age of 22 with only $50 in his pocket. He began an educational journey that included stops in the foothills of West Virginia, the desert of Tucson Arizona, the swamp of Washington DC, and the neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Along the way, he married a beautiful fellow UPenn PhD student, and decided he would raise his family to live the American Dream. He enjoyed a 35-year career as a Senior Editor at Chemical Abstracts Service in Columbus, Ohio. He taught his children the values of decency, hard work, education, kindness, patience, travel and college football. Even though they ultimately attended colleges not known for football (The University of Chicago and Northwestern University), he was still very proud of them. He dedicated his later years to the loving care of his wife, and making friends wherever he went, with his genuine smile and corny jokes and treasuring all things related to his grandkids. We don’t know of a prouder grandparent.
Gim is survived by his wife, Sarah; his children Susan Tjioe (married to Simon Gaunt) and James Tjioe (married to Lisa Tjioe); and his four grandchildren Ethan, Conor, Caroline, and Olivia.
A celebration of life for Gim will be held Tuesday, August 9, 2022 at 2:00 PM at Robert Toale & Sons Celebration of Life Center, 4310 Solutions Lane, Bradenton, FL 34211.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Ocean Conservancy (oceanconservancy.org) or American Brain Foundation (americanbrainfoundation.org).
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.rtslwr.com for the Tjioe family.
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