Gordon Chew's Obituary
Gordon Yuen Chew (July 29, 1939 – December 1, 2018)
Gordon Yuen Chew was born in Oakland on July 29, 1939, and lived there for all but a few years of his life. He graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1957 and entered the University of California, Berkeley, where he met his wife, Kayris. He graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, in 1963 as a Doctor of Pharmacy. He and Kayris were married in Berkeley in 1963. After first working at the then San Leandro Hospital, Gordon started to work as a pharmacist at Eden Hospital in Castro Valley in 1964 and went on to spend his entire career there, becoming Director of Pharmacy in 1980 and retiring in 2004. To Gordon, family was always first: He was a loving father to his daughters, Jennifer Kayris and Kristina Julie; a kindly father-in-law to Daniel Thompson and James T. Fisher; and a devoted and adoring Gong Gong to his grandson, Charles Vincent Fisher. Gordon was a lifelong Cal Bears fan, ardently supporting the football and basketball teams and often the last fan sitting in the stands after everyone else (except Kayris, who always stayed at his side) had left when the Bears were losing. Gordon’s loyalty to those he cared for was endless and he never, ever, gave up on those he loved. He was a loving husband, father, father-in-law, and grandfather; a devoted son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and cousin, and a friend and support to many.
In addition to Kayris, his loving wife of 55 years and his daughters Jennifer and Kristina, his sons-in-law Dan and Jim, and his grandson, Charlie, Gordon is survived by his siblings, Anna, Flora, Muriel, and Donald and their spouses, Walter and Nancy; his nieces, Sherrie and Eileen, and his nephews, Michael and Clifford; his grandnephews and grandnieces, Christopher, Rachel, Kevin, Stephanie, Kaitlyn, and Haydon; and many cousins and relatives. He is preceded in death by his beloved parents, Chew See Bong and Lee Suey Yook.
We will always miss you, Gordon, Dad, Little Brother and Big Brother, Uncle Yueny, Gong Gong. We are grateful that you have been a part of our lives for so long. You will always be with us.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 12, at 11am at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, California, 94611.
In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation in memory of Gordon Chew to any of these organizations.
A Better Chance School, 4138 Lakeside Drive, Richmond, California, 94806
Zia Ranch, 2340 Sunset Road, Brentwood, California, 94513
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