Felix Tan Obituary

Dr. Felix TanJune 19, 1933 - Oct. 2, 2023Dr. Felix Tan was a private practice Baltimore city physician for more than 40 years. During a time that would see solo, private practice doctor's offices fade away, Dr. Tan continued to care for patients in his Erdman/Sinclair neighborhood office over nearly two generations. Known for his sense of humor, his straight-talking ways, his decades-long relationship with patients and his late-night rounds at Good Samaritan Hospital, Dr. Tan was beloved by his patients, respected by colleagues and nurses, and devoted to his family. He died in his Towson home on Monday with late-stage Alzheimer's. He was 90. Born in Manila, Philippines and a child during World War II that would see his childhood home burned to the ground, Dr. Tan was one of a family of six. He graduated with his medical degree in 1962. He immigrated to the United States in 1963 and completed his internship and internal medicine residency at Fordham and Misericordia hospitals, poor and understaffed hospitals in the Bronx that gave him his first exposure to city health care and disease, which he said resulted in his exceptional immunity to most illnesses later in life. He married his wife, the former Dr. Aurora Cuevas, in 1968 and moved from New York City to Baltimore to join her the following year after completing a cardiology fellowship at Misericordia Hospital. They moved to a home in Towson, where he would live with his wife until the day he died. Dr. Tan served as a hospital physician at Montebello Hospital in Baltimore from 1969 until 1973, when he took over a private practice on Erdman Avenue, where he quickly became the neighborhood physician. When HMOs began peeling away his patients, many others loyally chose to pay more out of pocket to keep him as their doctor. It was not uncommon for him to serve a family long enough for him to eventually become the doctor to their grown children. During his time, he counseled patients on everything from relationships ("I've saved three marriages. ") to obesity ("You're fat. "). He often regaled his family at the dinner table with patient stories, which frequently concluded with his kids asking him what happened to the patient, and their father telling them, "Oh, he's dead now. "Dr. Tan was known to check on patients and make house calls to ones who were too ill to make it to their appointments, or for him to find creative ways to ensure that longtime patients who couldn't afford their medications or bills to still receive the treatment and drugs they needed. Whenever his patients and friends really needed him, he came. Because he set his own hours, he arranged his time so that he could pick his children up from school and stay with them through dinner. He typically began his rounds at Good Samaritan Hospital after 9:30 p. m. , and it was typical for his patients to stay up waiting for him as late as 11 p. m. When he returned to the hospital as a patient last month after falling ill, a number of veteran nurses and staff remembered him with fondness, because he had taken the time to chat, joke and trade stories with the nightside staff. As a parent, Dr. Tan was an extraordinarily involved parent who broke stereotypes at a time when mothers were the ones expected to attend PTA meetings, help with homework, school projects and classroom activities. Sometimes, he even took his kids with him to the office or the hospital. He routinely stressed the importance of family and took pains to impart values and wisdom that would guide his children throughout adulthood. In his spare time, Dr. Tan enjoyed gardening, reading, Westerns and action movies, musicals, ballroom dancing, historical Chinese soap operas and karaoke, and the New York Yankees, the team he learned to root for when he first came to this country. He is survived by his wife, Aurora, his three children, Sandra Tan (Matt Glynn) of Buffalo, NY; Kevin Tan (Ling) of Germantown, Md. ; and Felice Tan Curran (Joe) of Mechanicsville, Va. ; sisters Felicidad Sy, Lily Kho and Dolly Caedo; his brother, Paulino Tan; and grandchildren Katherine, Angela, Casey, Alex, Zach and Amelia. Visitation will be held from 1 - 3 p. m. and 5 - 7 p. m. Tuesday in Ruck Funeral Home at 1050 York Road, Towson, MD 21204. A Funeral Mass will be held at 9 a. m. Wednesday in Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 8501 Loch Raven Blvd. , Towson. A brunch reception and eulogy will be held at a separate location after Mass. Details will be provided at the church. Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, www. alz. org