Michael Chu Khai Tan

side on May 16, 2021, in San Francisco. He is survived by his wife, Amy, and

daughters, Josephine (husband Ruben) and Sabrina (husband Gil), five grandchildren,

Santiago, Alonzo, Shane, Gabriella, Scott, his sister, Kathleen, and many nieces and

nephews.

Michael, second son and the sixth of eight children of Tay Kim Swee and Tan Leok

Beng, was born November 8, 1939, in Rangoon, Burma. He lived life with a mixture of

incredible reliability, boundless optimism, curiosity, humor, and bravery. He provided

counsel when others asked him for family advice. He was the voice of reason with an

ear attuned to hearing all sides and setting a positive path forward.

Michael studied at Hwa Eng Chinese Methodist School and graduated with degrees in

chemistry and law from the University of Rangoon. He was manager at a pharmacy

before he wed his wife, Amy. They married on March 1, 1969, and soon after, with a

brave sense of adventure and optimism, the newlyweds left Burma and made their way

eventually to San Francisco. His first jobs in America were working as a chemist at a

toxicology lab and at the SF Water Department. He found his true calling as a forensic

scientist working at the San Francisco Police Department for the next 32 years. He

trained at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and was the SFPD Crime Lab’s arson

specialist. His hobbies included traveling, gardening, swimming, golfing, going on walks,

cooking, and being a part-time real estate agent.

Michael enjoyed talking to people and made friends easily. His natural curiosity always

drew interesting stories out from those he spoke with, because he was a thoughtful and

engaging conversationalist. He loved his grandchildren and helped care for them and

smiled whenever he heard them say, “I love you, AhKong!”

Services will be held Monday May 31, 2021 at Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home,

1000 El Camino Real, Colma, CA 94014. Visitation time is 8:30am-10am. Service begins at

10am. Following public health guidelines, seating is limited to 80 people. Please continue to

wear your mask and practice social distancing. Any memorial donations can be made to the

American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org.