Dr. William Yan FONG

FONG, Dr. William Yan
On March 8, 2010, Dr. William Yan Fong, 86, passed away surrounded by family at his home. A Sacramento High School graduate, he received his B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in 1945 and his M.D. from U.C. San Francisco in 1948. While completing his medical residency at New York's Bellevue Hospital, he met and married Ruby Marie Yee in 1954. Dr. Fong joined the Air Force, attaining the rank of captain. He returned in 1957 to become one of Sacramento's first Chinese doctors. As part of his distinguished career in internal medicine, Dr. Fong established the Sacramento Internal Medicine Medical Group, one of the city's first multi-specialty practices, and co-founded Physician's Clinical Laboratory. He served as President and Chief of Staff at Mercy General Hospital, Chief of Staff at the Sacramento Medical Center, President of the Sacramento County Medical Society, and President of the Sacramento Hospital Arbitration Board. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Heart Association, Tuberculosis and Health Association, Sacramento County Medical Society, Mercy Hospital Foundation, and the Sacramento Blood Bank, and chaired various committees of the California Medical Association. His proudest accomplishment was to help establish Sacramento's Asian Community Nursing Home, where he served as medical director. This facility received the State of California's top ranking in 2002. But his professional accomplishments paled when compared to his home gardening skills, where he produced world class dung gua (winter melon) and foo gua (bitter melon), even winning awards at the California State Fair. Although an avid fisherman, he caught few fish; "skunked" was a frequent part of his fishing vocabulary. Despite his keen intellect, he was humbled by the chaos of raising eight children, and was often heard to say, "Tell what's-his-name to get me the what-cha-ma-call-it!" William is survived by wife Ruby, six sisters, eight children and their spouses, and 20 grandchildren. He cherished large family excursions and musical performances by his children and grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.

Visitation will be on Thursday, March 11, 2010 from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at GEORGE L. KLUMPP CHAPEL OF FLOWERS, 2691 Riverside Blvd., Sacramento. Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 10:00 am at the Chinese Community Church, 5600 Gilgunn Way, Sacramento. Interment at East Lawn Cemetery, 43rd and Folsom Boulevard. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Asian Community Nursing Home or the Chinese Community Church.