Plan for the Future
~~Yolanda Y. Pan of Holmdel, NJ, formerly of Basking Ridge, NJ, passed away on Sunday, December 28, 2014. She was 69 years old.
Born in Xiamen, China to Clayton Chung-Tai and Yuen-Tseng Kuo, Yolanda was one of six children growing up in China and Taipei, Taiwan. In Taiwan, she was selected to attend the top high school for girls, Taipei First Girls High School, and then the prestigious National Taiwan University, where she received a degree in Chemistry and received numerous awards in recognition of her scholarly achievements. She then moved to the United States where she earned a Master of Science in Organic Chemistry at Brandeis University, where she was awarded a full scholarship.
Yolanda was a scientist for many years and specialized in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy supporting drug research for pharmaceutical companies including Bristol-Meyers Squibb. She was also an Associate Professor at Union County College. Most recently, she brought her expertise in NMR to the U.S. Federal Government, where she helped to keep Americans safe and was a Founding Member of the Department of Homeland Security.
Yolanda will be remembered by her family and friends for her warm smile, her intelligence, her incredibly positive attitude, and her adventurous spirit.
Yolanda leaves behind two beloved daughters, Patricia Connor and her husband Josh of Short Hills, NJ, and Tracy Bechtel and her husband Brad of Old Greenwich, CT; four siblings, Ivan Kuo, Marjorie Yeh, Katherine Chang and Julia Lin, and five cherished grandchildren: Sophia, Linden, Lily, Jack, and Abigail.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Yolanda’s life on Saturday, January 10, 2015 from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Community Congregational Church, 200 Hartshorn Drive, Short Hills, NJ 07078. A repast will be held at Patricia’s home in Short Hills following the celebration. In lieu of flowers, donations in Yolanda’s name may be made to The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute; http://blumberginstitute.org.
For more information or to offer Yolanda’s family a condolence, please visit www.www.bradleyfuneralhomes.com.