Jack Chang

1942 - 2016

Jack Han-Teh Chang passed away peacefully on February 22, 2016 in Denver, Colorado. Jack was born March 8, 1942, in Shanghai, China to Frank and Molly (King) Chang. Fleeing the communist revolution in China, Jack and his family came to the United States in 1950 via Taiwan and Hong Kong, eventually settling in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Jack earned his college and medical degrees from Duke University and, following surgical residencies in Denver and Pittsburgh, he joined a pediatric surgery practice in Denver, Colorado in 1976. In 1980, Jack joined the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas where he, along with colleagues Drs. Dale Coln and Walter Andews, began the first pediatric-only liver transplant program in the United States. In 1985, he returned permanently to Denver where he established Rocky Mountain Pediatric Surgery, helped found the Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Hospital, and remained an innovator in his field of medicine for decades. An avid hobbyist, Jack was known for his love of scrimshaw and early American whaling art. He was an active member of the New Bedford Whaling Museum in Massachusetts and published several articles on the provenance of scrimshaw pieces. But Jack's real joys were walks on the beach with his loving wife of 48 years, Laura; raising his three children, Ken, Jeff, and Becky; and playing with his nine grandchildren. A true renaissance man and a shining example of the American Dream, he was adored by all who knew him and will be missed deeply. Jack is survived by Laura and their children Kenneth (Wei-Ling), Jeffrey (Kelly), and Rebecca (Scott), his brother Wallace and sister Lydia, his grandchildren, and numerous nephews and nieces. Memorial services are scheduled for March 11, 2016 at 11:00 am at Cherry Hills Country Club. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to either the Rocky Mountain Children's Health Foundation or the Sarcoma Foundation of America.