Fred C Chan

Fred C Chan was born March 28, 1928 in Oakland. He went to Hong Kong to attend school and returned to the USA after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. He lived in the family home on Clay Street in China Town for many years, graduating from Galileo High School (1947) and University of California Berkley in Civil Engineering (1951). He worked for San Francisco City & County in the Department of Public Works for 38 years (1952-1990), where his people skills were an asset when he served as manager later in his career. He married Carol Lang Chan in 1961 and they moved to their house on Fairfield way where they stayed until now. When they were courting, he once drove straight from San Francisco to Vancouver Canada to see Carol. In 1970, their son Andrew was born. The family made numerous road trips with their dog, first Rockie and later Cappy, often to Tahoe or Canada.

He loved cars, driving his Thunderbird and later his Cougar everywhere. Fred’s hobbies started with bowling and ballroom dancing and later in life shifted to golfing and tap dancing. He tap danced for more than 40 years, only stopping when he was 91 and no longer able to drive. He enjoyed watching sports and cheering for the 49ers, Giants, Warriors, and Cal. He took pride in his yard and in the kitchen, made waffles every Sunday even in the final years of his life. He enjoyed music and was a fan of the musical “Student Prince” and all Christmas carols. Fred was a big believer in the US Constitution and did his civic duty by following current events and voting in every election.

The son of Ming Chew Chan and Ng Shee and stepson of Kwok Shee, Fred was preceded in death by his four older siblings: Betsy, Rose, Albert, and Calvin. Fred is survived by his wife Carol, son Andy and daughter in-law, Malinda. He is also survived by nieces and nephews, Karen Lum, Brian Fong, and Margaret Young and their spouses and children.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Beat in support of their tap dance program (https://theberkeleyperformingarts.org/) or the Cal-Berkeley Alumni Association (https://alumni.berkeley.edu/).