Daniel Yeh

Daniel Der-Yun Yeh, PhD, of Sugar Land, Texas, passed away peacefully on May 14, 2026, at the age of 73 in Taoyuan, Taiwan surrounded by his family. He was diagnosed with lung cancer three years ago and courageously faced his diagnosis, treatments, and illness.

Daniel was born on April 27, 1953, in Neili, Taiwan, the youngest of five children of Yeh A-Shih and Yeh Lo Liu-Mei. He attended college and obtained his Masters in Computer Science at National Chiao Tung University and then immigrated to the United States to pursue a PhD in Computer Science at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. His doctoral research and PhD thesis ““Graph Algorithms on a Tree-Structured Parallel Computer” 40 years ago investigated a first-generation version of artificial intelligence and formed the foundation of today’s modern AI algorithms. During a summer break from his studies back to Taiwan, Daniel met Belinda Min-Chu Yeh, MD, who was working as an OB/Gyn resident at a nearby hospital, and they were married a few months later.

Dr. Yeh began his career as a professor in computer science, teaching students at Cleveland State University, Arizona State University, and University of California - Riverside. He then transitioned from computer science to embark on a successful career in the hotel industry, starting with a small Days Inn motel near IAH airport. Our family moved to Houston, Texas in 1990, where Daniel and Belinda would live for the next 30 years, developing wonderful friendships and bonds with the Houston Chinese community. My father was deeply committed to the Taiwanese and Hakka communities in Houston, serving as President of both the Taiwan Hotel-Motel Association of Greater Houston and the Hakka Association of Houston.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dr. Belinda Min-Chu Yeh; his son, Andrew Yeh; his parents, Yeh A-Shih and Yeh Lo Liu-Mei; and his second-eldest brother, Yeh Teh-Yen. He is survived by his children, Randy and Jenny; his daughter-in-law, Dana; his son-in-law, Xavier; and his grandsons, Cassius and Galen. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews whom he helped raise and loved as his own children, including Bill, Joe, May, and Mike.

The family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to his oncologist, Dr. Tina Cascone, and the entire team at MD Anderson Cancer Center for the exceptional care and compassion they showed him. We are also deeply grateful to Drs. Xuan and Yang at Jiahui International Cancer Center in Shanghai, China, as well as Dr. Lin and Dr. Wu at Min-Sheng Hospital in Taoyuan, Taiwan. We extend our deepest gratitude to our dear friend, Dr. Long-Sheng Lu, who went above and beyond to help ensure that Daniel received the very best care throughout his illness.

A Celebration of Daniel Yeh’s Life will take place at Settegast-Kopf Company at Sugar Creek in Sugar Land, Texas on August 20, 2026 (Thursday) at 10am officiated by Reverend Hung-I from Jade Budda Temple.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation in Daniel's memory to https://www.mdanderson.org/donors-volunteers/donate/honor-loved-ones.html, helping

support others in their fight against cancer