Hiro Tu-Po Huang, MD, beloved husband, father, uncle, grandfather, pediatrician, artist, and devoted humanitarian, passed away peacefully at home on September 12, 2026, in Fulton, Maryland at the age of 86.
Hiro was born on March 1, 1940, in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, to Ming-Fu Huang and Yee-Yeh Hu. During his childhood, he and his six siblings ran around like "free range chickens" as he liked to say, swimming in fish ponds and streams, climbing banana and mango trees, and chewing on stalks of sugarcane. He rode his bicycle barefoot to school and found no shortage of adventures and occasional mischief. Taiwan remained close to his heart throughout his life, and he was deeply proud of the country where he was born and raised.
Following in the footsteps of his father, a pediatrician in Kaohsiung, Hiro pursued a career in medicine, graduating from Taipei Medical School in 1969. But before choosing medicine, Hiro had dreamed of becoming an artist. He remained an artist throughout his life, painting watercolor landscapes of the places he loved -- from Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan and the beaches of Bermuda and Hawaii to the home and surroundings he cherished in Maryland.
Soon after graduation, Hiro married Joan Joen (née Tsai), his lifelong partner and childhood friend. Together, they moved to the United States and settled in Long Branch, New Jersey, where Hiro completed his pediatric residency at Monmouth Medical Center. During those years, their daughters, Sharon and Elena, were born at the same hospital where their father was training to become a pediatrician.
After completing his residency, Hiro and Joan moved to Maryland, where he opened his pediatric primary care practice in Laurel in 1974. Over the course of his 42-year career, Hiro cared for thousands of children and their families. He was known not only for his clinical skill, but also for his gentle manner and his remarkable ability to put children at ease.
Nothing made Hiro happier than being around children. Generations of patients may remember him giving shots while distracting them by “quacking” like a duck, or drawing cartoon characters upside down on their hands so that, from the child’s perspective, the pictures appeared right-side up. In these moments, his love of children and his artistic spirit came together. These small acts of kindness and humor reflected the way he practiced medicine: with skill, compassion, patience, and a deep understanding of children.
Hiro’s commitment to caring for others extended far beyond his medical practice. He was a longtime medical volunteer with Tzu Chi USA’s Greater Washington, D.C. Region. For many years, Hiro and Joan served together as members of the Tzu Chi International Medical Association (TIMA), going wherever they were needed. They volunteered at community free clinics throughout the Greater Washington region, participated in medical missions to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and El Salvador, and supported disaster relief efforts across the United States. For Hiro, medicine was not simply a profession, but a way to serve others and ease suffering.
Above all, Hiro was devoted to his family. He found his greatest joy in being with those he loved, especially his grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Joan Huang; his daughter Sharon Huang, her husband, Leo Leung, and their daughter, Leanna Leung; his daughter Elena Huang, her husband, Lawrence Eugene Leso, Jr., and their children, Connor and Maggie Leso; and his siblings, Yuki Changchien, Anthony Huang, and Yobo Huang. He was also a cherished uncle to his many nieces and nephews.
Hiro’s family and friends will remember the boy who loved Taiwan, the artist who saw places in color, and the pediatrician who knew that sometimes the best way to help a frightened child was to quack like a duck. His contributions to his family and community remain, as do the stories his family will continue to tell and the memories of generations of children who knew they were safe in his care.
