Dr. Jose Gan's Obituary
Dr. Jose C. Gan, retired professor and beloved family patriarch, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2022 at the age of 88 in his home in Wesley Chapel, FL.
Jose was born to Timoteo and Genoveva Gan on November 30, 1933, in Pavia, Iloilo Province, Philippines. He immigrated to the United States in 1953 and first arrived in Wisconsin Rapids, WI. Jose went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, a Master of Science in Hospital Pharmacy from the State University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Illinois Medical Center in Chicago, IL. He was also an Alameda County Heart Association’s postdoctoral fellow in physiology at the University of California at Berkeley and a San Francisco Heart Association’s postdoctoral fellow in the Hormone Research Lab at the University of California Medical School in San Francisco, CA. He first met Norma, his wife of 62 years, at a party in Chicago, and together they had two daughters, Yvonne and Karen.
Jose and his young family settled in Galveston, TX, where he served as a professor and researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Genetics at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He dedicated 36 years to UTMB before retiring in 2004. Outside of his research and teaching roles, Jose’s passion was maintaining his prodigious home garden, and he enjoyed martial arts, tennis, reading, and traveling.
Jose is survived by his wife, Norma; daughters Yvonne and Karen; sons-in-law Jeff and Todd; grandchildren Andrew, Caitlin, Maddy, Jared, and Joshua; brothers Henry and Jorge; and sister Nancy. He was preceded in death by his parents Timoteo and Genoveva; brothers Edgar, Timoteo, Jr., and Rafael; and sister Melba. His family will remember him fondly for his generosity, keen intellect, and sense of humor.
Visitation will begin at 10 AM followed by a funeral service at 11 AM on October 31, 2022, at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Trinity, FL.
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