Thomas Tam

Thomas Tam, 70, of El Dorado, passed away on Sunday, February 9, 2014. Born in Canton, China, Tom lived in Hong Kong and Nassau, Bahamas, before immigrating to the United States in 1972. He lived in New Orleans before making El Dorado his permanent home in 1977. One of his proudest moments was becoming a U.S. citizen in 1980.

Tom's life was dedicated to his family and his work. In 1977, he opened Oriental Gardens Restaurant, the first restaurant to serve Chinese food in the El Dorado area. Tom worked seven days a week for 18 years before entering semi-retirement in 1995.

A true sports fan, Tom enjoyed watching a good game no matter the sport or team. He was a particular fan of the New Orleans Saints and the Arkansas Razorbacks. He passed on this love of sports to his daughters, Jenny Tam (Nick Yoder) of Brookline, Massachusetts (Go, Red Sox!); Marie Turner (Vance Turner) of Monona, Wisconsin (Go, Pack, Go!); Tammie Tam of Brooklyn, New York; and Alice Tam of Queens, New York (Let's Go Nets!).

Tom will continue to be loved and remembered by his wife of 37 years, Mei Tam; his mother, Sau King Wong of San Francisco, CA; a half-brother, Kwai Lam Tam of Cerritos, CA; half-sisters, Lai Chu Chan (Dixon, CA), Helen Kwong (Dixon, CA), Louis Mah (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada), Wai Chun Tam (Diamond Bar, CA), Isabella Tam (Diamond Bar, CA), Ivy Tam (Diamond Bar, CA); two grandsons, Max and Kai Yoder of Brookline, Massachusetts; and a host of family and friends.

Visitation for Tom will be held from 5-7 p.m. at Young's Funeral Home on Friday, February 14, 2014. There will be a memorial service at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 15, 2014, at the Chapel at Young's Funeral Home.

If you would like to celebrate Tom's life, please make donations to UAMS Cancer Institute, In Memory of Thomas Tam, 4301 West Markham, Mail Slot #623F, Little Rock, AR 72205.

The Tam family would like to thank everyone for their love and support.

An online registry is available at www.youngsfuneralhome.com.