Wing Yin Mar, M.D. passed away peacefully at home on January 30, 2019. He was 95. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a caring physician, a wise counselor to many, a kind and empathetic leader, and a person of great curiosity and creativity.
Wing was born on or about January 15, 1924 in Toi Shan County, Canton, China, the third of three children to Evelyn and Joe Mar. As a six-month old infant, he journeyed with his mother and brother to the United States to join his father. He spent his childhood in Stockton, California.
He enlisted and served in the Army’s 711th tank battalion in the Pacific during WWII. Returning to enroll at UC Berkeley, he met and married Joyce Wye in 1949. From that moment, they were the closest of partners as he finished at Cal, went on to graduate work at University of South Dakota, and completed medical school at Stritch School of Medicine of Loyola University in Chicago.
In 1956, Wing and Joyce settled in Torrance, California, where Wing practiced medicine for nearly 50 years as a family doctor, in geriatrics, and as a medical director. Wing’s compassion and deep vision for community was expressed in many concrete ways. He was the Chair of the Torrance YMCA Board, helping to assure its growth and secure its present facility in the mid-1960s, and earning a place in the Y’s Golden Book of Distinguished Service in 1968 for his inspired leadership. He led the group of physicians who founded what is now the California Association of Long Term Care Medicine in 1978. Wing was a pioneer in geriatric care, and was later appointed Chair of the Little Hoover Commission’s Advisory Committee on Medical Quality of Care in Nursing Homes. In addition to his medical work, Wing spearheaded the effort to pay off the mortgage for the original Chinatown houses of the Chinese Historical Society of Southern California. Wing edited Portraits of Pride, a collection of true-life stories of early 20th century Chinese-Americans that was distributed free to 1,500 libraries across the US in 2004. He also wrote Life’s Journey, a memoir that has brought much joy, wisdom, and remembrance to his family. He will be missed.
Wing is survived by Joyce, his wife of 70 years, his three children and their spouses, Gayle (Craig), Jeff (Louise) and Carolyn (Jerome), grandchildren and partners Jesse (Anne), Sarah (Chris), Robyn (Ria), David (Cathy), Matthieu (Sara), Claire (Alex), and great grandchildren Reid, Emery, Frank and Victoria.
Services will be held at Riviera United Methodist Church at 11:00 on March 22, 2019. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Torrance-South Bay YMCA (2900 Sepulveda Blvd, Torrance, CA 90505), Chinese Historical Society of Southern California - Capital Campaign (415 Bernard St, Los Angeles, CA 90012), or Riviera United Methodist Church (375 Palos Verdes Blvd, Redondo Beach, CA 90277).
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