Stephen Wei's Obituary
Stephen Wei, a beloved son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather, was born in Shanghai, China on September 17, 1937 to Mr. and Mrs. Harry and So Han Wei. He had one older brother, Warner, and four younger siblings Raymond, Susie, Patsy, and Susan. The family left Shanghai for Hong Kong shortly before the communist takeover of China. In Hong Kong, he attended Diocesan Boys School (DBS) for middle and high school. In 1958, he received a scholarship to study dentistry in Australia with the intention of teaching in the dental school to be built by the government. At the University of Adelaide he completed his Bachelor of Dental Science (BDS). During his studies he became a christian and attended an Overseas Christian Fellowship conference. It was there that he met and fell in love with Stella K.C. Cheung. They were married in Adelaide on Easter Monday, 1965. With the HK government’s change of plan in building the dental school, Stephen and Stella went to Chicago, Illinois, to study under Maury Massler for a Master of Dental Science, which was awarded to him in 1967. In 1968, he obtained a Master of Science in Histology from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Then, Stephen and Stella moved to Iowa City, Iowa where Stephen started teaching at the University of Iowa, and where they welcomed their first daughter, Stephanie, followed several years later by a second daughter Esther. In 1971, he received his Doctor of Dental Science degree (DDS). Stephen taught, lectured and published extensively, climbing the ranks to Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pedodontics. In 1983-84, he was appointed Professor and Chair of Pediatric Dentistry and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Growth and Development, at the University of California at San Francisco, and the family left Iowa City. After one year at UCSF, Stephen and Stella felt they were ready to return and serve in Hong Kong and found opportunities that would allow them to do so. Stephen was recruited by the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Hong Kong, and Stella was appointed to teach at her alma mater, St. Stephen’s Girls School. Tragically, Stella passed away from a brain aneurysm in 1984, so Stephen returned to Hong Kong alone as Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, later becoming Dean of the Dental School. Upon returning to Hong Kong, he was reunited with many friends, including Gladys Lee, a family friend from Iowa days. Stephen and Gladys were married in 1985 and became inseparable as the years went by.
Before his retirement, he began practicing part-time in a dental clinic established by his former students. He retired from the University of Hong Kong in 1998 and began serving as Consultant, Professional Education for Dentsply Asia until 2005. After his second retirement, he spent more time at clinical work, enjoyed hobbies such as golf, served on the General Committee of the Hong Kong Country Club, and continued to combine travel with lecturing. In late 2017, he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and decided to seek treatment in the United States. He spent his last months and weeks being cared for and surrounded by his beloved family. Stephen passed away peacefully on January 27, 2020 in Redwood City, California. He will be forever missed by those who knew and loved him.
Stephen was a highly successful student, often the head of his class. His intelligence and work ethic led to lengthy and significant career accomplishments. He was the inspiration for and Founding Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Dentistry, The Journal of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (1978 – 1982) and was Editor Emeritus at the time of his passing. Professor Wei, or “Prof”, as he liked to be known, published extensively, including over 60 chapters in books and monographs and more than 200 research and clinical papers. Between 1973-2019 he published 95 papers, of which 18 are considered “classics” (having more than 100 citations each).
He authored and co-authored many books including “Clinical Uses of Fluorides”, “Pediatric Dentistry: Scientific Foundations and Current Practice.” “Fluoride, an Update for Dental Practice” and Pediatric Dental Care”, “Pediatric Dentistry: Total Patient Care” and “Occlusal Guidance in Pediatric Dentistry”. He supervised the research dissertations of more than 10 PhD candidates and about 30 masters’ degree students in the US and Hong Kong. He took great pride in contributing to the careers of so many grateful and successful students.
Other significant contributions to academic dentistry include being President of the International Association for Dental Research from 1993 – 1994, and the President of the South East Asian Association of Dental Educators in the same time period. He was dedicated to improving dental care in China, and has been bestowed Honorary Professorships at many universities in China, including Peking University, Wuhan University, Sichuan University, the Second Medical University, the Ninth Peoples’ Hospital in Shanghai, Tongji University in Shanghai and the Sun Yat Sen University of Medical Sciences in Guangzhou and Kaoshiung University in Taiwan. He was instrumental in establishing the DongGuan Dental Hospital and served on its Board of Directors until 2019.
Stephen was serious at work, and at play. Ever since he was a boy, he was fascinated with airplanes. Throughout his career and personal life, he relished flying and accrued millions of miles. He traveled to almost every continent in the world, enjoying and experiencing the cuisine, culture, and the people of each new place. Thanks to his personable and magnetic personality he was well-liked and had many long-term friends and colleagues all over the world.
Stephen was an avid lover of sports. He played tennis for many years at the Iowa City Racquet Club, at the courts behind his house in Iowa City, at the University of Hong Kong, at the Hong Kong Country Club, and many other courts around the world. He loved watching soccer games and would often set an alarm to wake up in the middle of the night to watch his favorite team Arsenal and others play in the English Premier League. Later in his life, he started golfing and would wake up at 4 am to travel to Mission Hills Golf Club, Shenzhen, China, to golf.
Stephen became a Christian during his early years in Australia and was involved in church throughout his life. Stephen loved music and singing. He had a deep, low and rich bass voice and he loved being a member of the church choir, singing complex and advanced choral pieces, despite no formal training in music.
Stephen loved his two daughters and five grandchildren deeply. Watching them continue his legacy by excelling in academics, tennis, soccer, and music, and spending time with them gave him unparalleled joy and satisfaction.
Stephen was preceded in death by his parents Harry Wei and So Han Wei, wife Stella Wei, and brother Warner Wei. Those left to treasure his memory are his devoted wife Gladys Wei; loving daughters Stephanie Wei and Esther Wei, son-in-law Samuel Wan; grandchildren Ethan Chin, Natalie Chin, Corinne Wan, Vivienne Wan, and Evelyn Wan; steadfast siblings Mr. Raymond Wei (and wife Mrs. Julie Wei), Mrs. Susie Ho (and husband Dr. Lig Kang Ho), Mrs. Patsy Wong (and husband Mr. Sam Wong), Mrs. Susan Ong (and husband Mr. Say Kim Ong) and sister-in-law Mrs. Katherine Wei; many nieces and nephews, and countless colleagues and friends.
Public viewing and funeral services will be held on Friday, February 7th, 2020 at 10:00 am at Skylawn Memorial Park, San Mateo, California. Burial and reception to follow.
In lieu of flowers, we suggest donations to the “Professor Stephen H.Y. Wei Memorial Fund”. Gifts made payable to Gladys Wei Lee, Stephanie Wei or Esther Wei will be deposited into this fund. Gifts made directly to the fund are tax-deductible - make checks payable to “Impact Assets Inc” with the fund name on the check; or donate by credit card at: https://iphi.stellartechsol.com/calvert/OnlineDonation/tabid/542/dispatch/contribution_id$369510_hash$5e5fd625f784d1df17c4969749e6d930a1ae7143/Default.aspx. To be updated on charitable activities from the fund, sign up at this link: https://forms.gle/hsVpc2FJvUwNwoLK8.
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