Dr. Connie Shinling Jan

Dr. Connie Shinling Jan, also known as Connie Chuan, age 48, of Houston, Texas, passed away on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Connie was born in Marrero, Louisiana, on August 31, 1974 to Tricia and Raymond Jan. After attending school in Denver, Colorado, the family moved to Dallas, Texas, where she finished school at J.J. Pearce High School in 1992. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Texas at Austin and subsequently fulfilled her dream of becoming a doctor when she graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 2000. Connie found her calling in the care of children and continued her training with Texas Children's Hospital who she worked for after residency as a general pediatrician.

Connie met her husband, Joseph Chuan, in medical school. Joseph came to his senses and proposed to her in the final year of medical school and they married in Houston, Texas, on January 6, 2001 in the middle of their intern year. In 2005, they welcomed their first child, daughter Jenna, then in 2008 son Matthew, and in 2013 completed the Chuan family with son Alex. Connie had many roles in life--daughter, sister, wife, niece, aunt, colleague, physician, and friend. Among all the titles she had in her life, her favorite was ‘mom’; she was incredibly proud of Jenna, Matthew and Alex. She loved them, nurtured them and would not hesitate put them before herself. During the course of her illness Connie suffered tremendously--there were times when the disease process or treatment had become unbearable. However, her will to live and her love for her family were even stronger, and she survived years longer than what was expected.

Connie is survived by her husband, Joseph; children, Jenna, Matthew and Alex; mother, Tricia; father, Raymond; sister, Tiffany; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of Connie's life will be held at West Houston Chinese Church at 10638 Hammerly Blvd. Houston, TX 77043, on Saturday, August 5th at 1:00 pm with a visitation and reception to follow. Everyone who loves Connie Chuan or wants to honor this remarkable person is welcome to attend. (There will be a private cremation the following week.)

Please consider sharing a fond memory or special story you experienced with Connie at www.memorialoaksfunerals.com. It would be a very meaningful gift for the Chuan family.

In lieu of flowers, Connie wished donations to be directed towards Camp Kesem (https://donate.kesem.org/give/421332/#!/donation/checkout), an organization dedicated to helping children who have a parent diagnosed with cancer, or Memories Live (https://www.memorieslive.org), a non-profit which helps make legacy movies to pass on as keepsakes for the next generation. Please use [email protected] as the recipient for any donations.