Dr. Yam Shun Tong, 71, a longtime resident of Oak Park, died on Sept 25, 2019. Born on Dec. 29, 1948, in Hong Kong, he was a Chicagoan through and through and a securely indoctrinated fanatic of the championship-winning 1985 Bears. He earned a BS degree in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois Chicago, a PhD from Northwestern University in Biochemistry, and a medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was, in fact, a double doctorate. For over 15 years, Dr. Tong was the OB/GYN Department chairman of PCC Wellness at West Suburban Hospital in Oak Park. He was a dedicated physician, offering his care to expecting mothers and countless patients with the most compassionate bedside manner, working tirelessly, ending days in the clinic with evening call hours for his obstetric patients. He always put his patients first, whether during a busy clinic day or on his scheduled days off. He had a reputation for rushing into the office to see patients who presented acutely, providing either immediate care or the appropriate referral to meet their needs. Unless he was out of town, he considered himself on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
His legacy lives on in the flourishing and boundless lives of those he touched and the immeasurable heart of the community he called family.
Yam Shun Tong is survived by his wife, Cindy; his children, San and Kevin; and three of his siblings. He was preceded in death four siblings.
A memorial gathering was held Sept. 29. The family appreciates donations to the Center for Pacific Asian Family (CPAF) https://nurturingchange.org.
Arrangements were handled by Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home.