Dr. Wing Hong Tam

On May 15, 2020, our dearly beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and friend, Wing Hong Tam, passed away at Toronto General Hospital from complications associated with COVID-19. True to his character, he fought like a lion to the very finish.

Born in Hong Kong on February 14, 1938, Wing Hong was the eldest of six brothers and sisters born to Michael Yue Shing Tam and Wai Hing Tam. He attended St. Joseph’s College in Hong Kong before moving on to the University of Hong Kong, where he earned a B.Sc. (biology) and a Ph.D. (endocrinology). After receiving his Ph.D., he completed a three year postdoctoral fellowship at the Wellcome Institute of Comparative Physiology at the Zoological Society of London, U.K. In 1971, he accepted a position as a Professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. He would remain at Western for 35 years until his retirement, devoted to his research in comparative and reproductive endocrinology, teaching the many thousands of undergraduates who attended his classes, and mentoring scores of graduate students. He was very proud of his work and career.

It was just prior to commencing his doctoral studies at HKU that Wing Hong met Cecilia Koo, and love soon blossomed between them over movie dates, picnics, and romantic strolls around Victoria Peak. He later said “they always knew” without the need for words, and they married in 1967. All told, they were together for 57 years, very rarely apart and separated only by his passing. They lovingly raised two children – Andrew, a lawyer, and Amy, a doctor – and Wing would practically burst with pride at their academic, personal and professional achievements. He was just as proud of the achievements of his nieces and nephews.

In what free time he had, Wing enjoyed varied pursuits, including the study of history, reading about current events, researching and writing about Asian ceramics, listening to opera and classical music, travelling with family, watching movies with friends and socializing over dinners and dim sum. Above all, he enjoyed his time with Cecilia and, in recent years, as she suffered health issues, he displayed incredible and touching devotion to her care.

Wing is survived, loved and deeply missed by Cecilia, his children, his five brothers and sisters – Jenny (David), Mabel (Peter), Bill (Min), Albert (Matilda) and Vivian (Michael), their children, and the rest of the Tam and Koo families. He is also loved and dearly missed by Andrew’s partner, Jo-Anne, who was a near-constant companion to Wing (and Cecilia) in recent months, and who formed a special bond with Wing.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis, an intimate, private service will be held at R. S. Kane Funeral Home in Toronto on Thursday, May 21, 2020. Once it is safe to travel and gather in larger numbers, the Tam family will host a proper celebration of life and “big eat” to make Wing Hong proud.

Donations in Wing Hong’s memory can be directed to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, or to a worthy charity of your choice.