Gary Chan loved babies. His life took that love for babies to help those with difficulties entering this world and lead to him choosing his beloved profession. A physician, early in the sub-specialty of neonatology, he eagerly learned much during his fellowship in the care of critically ill newborns at the University of Cincinnati.
He was born in Oakland, California on March 8, 1947. Academics were his forte and he majored in biochemistry at UC Berkeley with honors, graduating in 1964. He attended medical school at USC in Southern California and graduated in 1968. From there, he completed his pediatric residency at Harbor General Hospital- UCLA, where he met Marilyn, who was a nurse in the NICU. They married in 1975 and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio for his fellowship in Newborn Care. After his fellowship, he accepted a position at the University of Utah and in July 1977 moved to Salt Lake City, where he became an attending faculty in the Department of Pediatrics; Division of Neonatology. He’s helped tens of thousands of critically ill newborns during his over forty-year service to the University of Utah and other hospitals in the Salt Lake Valley. In fact, he was at the hospital serving these babies and families in 2016 when he had a catastrophic stroke. He has worked hard with physical therapy and various care givers the last two years to recover. He was awarded Professor Emeritus status at the University of Utah in 2017.
Dr. Chan was a nationally recognized expert in the areas of newborn nutrition, particularly in bone and mineral metabolism. Active in both clinical and basic research, Gary contributed greatly to the medical communities overall understanding of calcium, Vitamin D and bone metabolism, especially in the very preterm infant. Gary was a remarkable mentor, teaching and guiding numerous undergraduate, graduate and medical students, as well as residents, fellows and junior faculty. Dr. Chan was also noted for his expertise and teaching at the bedside. He was a consummate clinician. He had a knack for teaching to the level of the learner, from pre-med to faculty.
He will be remembered by his hard work and dedication to these critically ill newborns and their families (often dressing as Santa to deliver presents to the graduates of the NICU), his unwavering dedication to research (hundreds of published articles), mentorship of others in academics and research (service mission to the country of Bulgaria to teach their neonatologists), his boisterous laugh, always knowing the best Chinese restaurant in an area and knowing the greatest combinations to order, and being a great cook.
He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; his children: Ben (Jessie), Melissa (Tom), and Tim; and his grandchildren: Emi, Kaia, Henry, Kira, and CeCe. He is preceded in death by his ten-week old daughter, Julie, along with his parents, Viola (Evan) & Hart.
Gary is a proud member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He has served in many capacities and callings. His most recent and last calling was Bishop of the Grandeur Peak Ward in the Mt. Olympus Stake.
Gary Chan, 71, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2018, in Salt Lake City holding his beloved Marilyn’s hand and surrounded by family.
A very special thank you to the tender loving care provided by Senior Helpers, Visiting Angels, and ProCare Hospice.
A viewing will be held at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park & Mortuary from 6-8pm on Sunday, December 16th located at 3401 S Highland Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84106.
A funeral will be held at the Grandeur Peak Ward, 3510 S. 3610 E., on Monday, December 17th at noon with a viewing one hour prior.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to Gary Chan Medical Scholarship through drgarychan.org.
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