Dr. Chin-Chu Lin, MD, 88, of Concord, CA, passed away on March 06, 2024. His passing was unexpected, despite some decline in health after a recovery from surgery for a brain bleed in 2019-20.

Chin-Chu was predeceased by his wife of over 46 years, Sue Lin. He is survived by his three children and spouses - Jim Lin and May Chiu, John Lin and Christine Chang, and Juliet Lin and Todd Anderson, his 6 grandchildren - David Lin, Amy Lin, Eric Lin, Ryan Lin, Jason Lin, and Baraka Anderson, his current wife - Jane Hahn, and his siblings - Shing-Chu Lin, Su-Min Peng, Suphie Chen, and Yaw-You Lin. 

Chin-Chu was born in 1935 to Kun-Yen Lin and Chiang-Luan Lin, a landlord and a midwife, in a rural town near Taichung, Taiwan. He greatly valued education and worked hard in his youth to graduate at the top of his high school class. Back then, in Taiwan’s hierarchical education system, only the very top test scores were admitted to medical school , which was considered the most respected profession. He graduated National Taiwan University Medical College in 1961 and trained there in Obstetrics and Gynecology. During his residency he met Sue Shih-Chen Lin, and they married in 1964. He subsequently served his required Taiwan military service as a medical officer with the US Navy that was stationed there.

In 1969, Chin-Chu first came to the US, with his wife and oldest son, for a research fellowship at SUNY Downstate Medical School. For the return to Taiwan, they traveled extensively through Europe, visiting many destinations. The whole family immigrated permanently to the USA in 1971 and Dr. Lin repeated a partial residency in OB/GYN at NY Presbyterian - Columbia Medical Center and subsequently a fellowship in the nascent field of Perinatology (Maternal Fetal Medicine) at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. In 1976, Dr. Chin-Chu Lin settled in Hinsdale, IL. He joined the OB/GYN faculty of the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine and sustained an illustrious career there as a clinician on the Labor and Delivery Ward, a researcher in his laboratory, and a revered teacher to medical students, residents, and fellows. He published numerous medical journal articles and two medical textbooks. In 1984, his textbook “Intrauterine Growth Retardation” was the first to cover that topic. In 1992, his second textbook “The High-Risk Fetus” was well received in his field and studied by many. He retired in 2001 and received a lifetime Professor Emeritus title from The University of Chicago. His extraordinary medical career had a profound impact on his sons both pursuing medicine. His older son Jim, attended medical school at The University of Chicago, and had the unique and memorable experience of learning directly from his father.  In 2001, Chin-Chu retired and soon moved with Sue to Concord, CA where they enjoyed an active, happy retirement and spent as much time as possible with their 6 grandchildren over the years, as well as traveling abroad.  In 2011, Chin-Chu was saddened by the passing of his wife, Sue, of many decades.  He was a dedicated caretaker in her final year.  He was fortunate to find happiness once again when he and his new love, Jane Hahn, were married in 2012. They traveled abroad again, usually with his beloved National Taiwan University School of Medicine Class of 1961 group. In late 2019 to early 2020, Chin-Chu was stricken with a brain bleed that required surgery and a very tough recovery, but he did not give up and made enough (though not full) recovery to return home and enjoy several more years.

Chin-Chu took great pride in his heritage as a Taiwanese American and was an early leader in Taiwanese American Foundation (https://www.tafworld.org/) which brought families and children across the midwest together for summer camps. The reach has now grown across North America.  He was also greatly involved as a leader in the North American Taiwanese Professors' Association and the North American Taiwanese Medical Association, and he was a vocal advocate for Taiwanese American matters and Taiwan independence.  Even as his health was failing, he still held great interest in the Taiwan presidential election of Jan 2024.  His other interests outside of work and family were his love of classical music, especially opera, and international travel.  Chin-Chu usually had some opera music playing at home or in the car and would often sing along. While his dedication to his career was ever time-consuming, being a leader in his field meant there were many opportunities to travel to international conferences, and he had a chance to visit China and Russia, among other places, before the common travelers were allowed to.  In middle school, Chin-Chu discovered Christianity as he searched for the meaning of life.  He joined the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan and shared it with his mother as well.  He remained a devout Christian in America, especially with his involvement in the Taiwan Presbyterian Church of Greater Chicago.  Later in retirement, he was an active member of the Formosan United Methodist Church of the East Bay.  Throughout his career, Chin-Chu was actively writing articles, both in English and in Taiwanese, for Taiwanese American groups and newsletters.  He also enjoyed writing Taiwanese poetry for his loved ones.  In retirement, Chin-Chu published several memoirs that included reflections on his career and family life as well as his poetry.  Most of it was in written in Taiwanese.  Chin-Chu loved to make drawings, especially with Taiwan as subject matter.  He most enduring work was his drawing of the island of Taiwan with a lovely scene of a rowboat by the pavilion at Taichung City Park, close to his high school.  It was transformed into a stained glass art piece that initially adorned the skylight in part of our home and shone brightly when the sun was high!  The piece was converted over to a light box that graced another home in Illinois before magnificently illuminating the dining room wall in his retirement home in California. He will be forever remembered in that art piece. 

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