Qin Zhao Yang's Obituary
Qin Zhao Yang passed away May 26th, 2023 at a private hospice home surrounded by his family
after a more than five years long battle with AML in Stanford Hospital.
Qin Zhao was born in Guangdong, China, to YingHua Yang, and Xiou E Ye on November 1st 1934.
His family was so poor, his parents had to leave China to go to Indonesia to make a living, and left
behind 4 years old Qin Zhao and his grandma in China. They had to sell vegetables and to roll
cigarettes to make ends meet, while waiting for unreliable remittances from his parents. Qin Zhao
excelled in schools, and attained scholarships to finish middle school. In his freshman year in high
school, he rejoined his family in Indonesia. However, since his mother had already passed away at
that time, he did not like the life there. He earned his return trip money by teaching younger students
for 3 years while finishing his high school. Once he came back to China in 1954, he went on to
HuaNan Teaching University with a scholarship to finish his BS degree. Then, he got a teaching
assistantship to attend FuDan University in Shanghai to obtain his PhD in Physiology. While in
FuDan University, he met my mother, Yongtang Yan, in an undergraduate program. They married in
1964 after Qin Zhao got his PhD, and working for National Academy of Science in Shanghai, and
Yongtang graduated with a BioChemistry degree. In 1967, they had a only son, Jim, born to the
family.
After 15 years of working in the National Academy of Science, Qin Zhao had a distinguished
research career, and published many research papers in China. In 1980, he presented his work to
Cambridge University, UK, to obtain a China sponsored 3-year research exchange program in
Cambridge University.
In 1984, he moved to the United States after finishing the research fellowship in Cambridge. He
spent the next 20 years doing Neuroscience research at the University of Maryland, Michigan State
University, and UC Riverside. He retired in 2004, at age 70. All together, Qin Zhao has published
over 120 research papers in national and internationally recognized research magazines. After his
retirement, he enjoyed spending time with grandkids, picking them up after school, and teaching
them Chinese language.
In private, Qin Zhao is a loving husband, father, and grandpa who enjoys cooking as much as
reading. His incredible self-reliance and positive thinking enabled him to accomplish so much in his
life from his humble beginning. It is also a constant reminder to his family and friends, a purpose
driven life is so beautiful no matter where you come from …
Qin Zhao will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and colleagues.
What’s your fondest memory of Qin?
What’s a lesson you learned from Qin?
Share a story where Qin's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Qin you’ll never forget.
How did Qin make you smile?