Edward Ralph Sun MD

COLUMBIA Dr. Edward Ralph Sun, 73, passed away on April 3, 2016, after a long and courageous 3-year battle with bladder cancer. He was born on August 26, 1942 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His parents, David C. Sun MS (Chemistry) and Yuan M. Sun MD, immigrated individually to the United States in the 1920’s and later met and married. In his youth, Dr. Sun enjoyed music and acquired a proficiency in the violin and trumpet. He was fortunate to spend a summer on scholarship at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Traverse City, Michigan. He attended Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan from 1953-1959, finishing at the top of his class. He attended Harvard College from 1959-1963, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a BS in chemistry, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. A recipient of a Fulbright Study Grant in German Literature, he studied at the University of Munich and the Free University of Berlin from 1963-1964. Returning to the United States, he entered Harvard Medical School and received his medical degree in 1968. Throughout high school, college, and medical school, he was a full scholarship recipient. Following a one year internship in medicine at the University of Colorado Medical Center, he returned to Boston for a three year residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Here he met his future wife, Kathleen Maguire, and they married in 1979. Upon completion of his residency in 1972, Dr. Sun was inducted into the US Army Medical Corps. Major Sun served at the Second General Hospital in Landstuhl, West Germany. During this assignment, he became board certified in both Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Radiology. He was then appointed the US Army European Consultant in Nuclear Medicine for the remainder of his tour. Following an honorable discharge from the army in June of 1974, Dr. Sun briefly joined the radiology department of New England Deaconess Hospital as staff radiologist and Director of Nuclear Medicine. He then entered private practice, first in Vermont, and then in South Carolina, where for many years he was on the staff of Richland Memorial Hospital. He retired in 2010. Throughout his professional career, he remained an active member of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, the American College of Radiology, and the New England Rontgen Ray Society. In his free time, Dr. Sun enjoyed music, travel, tennis, and skiing. His passion for skiing led him across North America, Europe, and South America. He also enjoyed helicopter skiing in Canada. He is survived by his wife, Kathleen; son, David Charles DVM of Seattle, Washington; daughter-in-law, Kathryn Fernandez Sun MD; grandchildren, Audrey Lillian and Daniel Alexander; two sisters, Janette Sun Albrecht MD of Syracuse, NY, and Sallie Sun Streib MD of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 23, 2016, at 3:00 p.m. at Spring Valley Presbyterian, with a reception immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Interlochen Center for the Arts, 427 West Front Street, Traverse City, MI 49684.