On Sunday, January 3, 2021, Gary Liang Tsao passed away peacefully after a brief illness at 61.

Gary was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Monterey Park, California, as the youngest of a family dedicated to the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the medical arts. He attended Garfield High School for 9th and 10th grades and graduated from Monterey Bay Academy in Watsonville, CA. Gary graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from La Sierra University in Riverside and matriculated from Loma Linda University School of Medicine in 1985, following in his older brother Gordon’s footsteps. After completing the Family Medicine Residency Program at Riverside General Hospital, Gary stayed on as faculty, to teach many students and resident doctors the art of being a compassionate and capable physician. Gary’s life was a model of love, exploration, and passion, of which he had many.

From early childhood, his engineering talent was already evident. In elementary school, Gary was interviewed by a local TV news station when he built a U-controlled airplane from scratch. He loved fishing and even became a commercial fisherman in Alaska later in life. Gary’s dedication to bodybuilding and martial arts was fierce, and yet he was a gentle giant. Still, his size was dwarfed by his generous heart and love for others. His deep, rich bass voice was the foundation of many a choir, and his artistry and keen eye were evident in his remarkably detailed drawings.

Gary was a person of wide-ranging knowledge, interests, and talents, an entrepreneur, and an author of several children’s books. After retiring from medicine, he embarked on a successful second career as a businessman. He acquired and managed laundromats, rental properties, and various other enterprises. His hands-on approach to managing his businesses and properties made him well known in the community. Over the years, those who did business with him also became his friends.

Although Gary kept busy with work, he always made time for anyone who came to him for advice. He loved God and was a regular member of the Mission Road SDA church in Redlands, CA. Uncle Gary could always be counted on to mentor the young adult groups and younger church members who needed his help. He would not only nourish their spiritual needs, but he attended to their physical nourishment with his excellent cooking. 

We will remember Gary for the love he shared with the people in his life, and as the beloved person we were blessed to have known. He is and will be truly missed by so many. Gary’s legacy is the high bar of generosity and human kindness he set for us by his example and the love and compassion he planted in each of our hearts.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents, George and Geneva Tsao, and his older brother Gordon.
He is survived by his maternal cousins, Annie and Pat Chu, his paternal cousin Robert Luk, and his godchildren, Christine, Jazzmin, and Nicholas Ojeda. 

For friends who would like to support the causes Gary was passionate about in his lifetime - please make a donation in memory of Gary to either :

1. Mission Road Church in honor of Gary.
Online giving: https://adventistgiving.org/#/org/ANPMLR/envelope/start

Mailing Address:Mission Road ChurchPO Box 639 Loma Linda, CA 92354

2. San Bernardino City Mission, PO Box 3489, San Bernardino, CA 92413 https://sanbernardinocitymission.org/

3. Lanai SDA Group - Children's Ministry Fund, PO Box 630072, Lanai City, HI 96763