Fred Shih Hao Sun
Fred Shi-Hao Sun, 67, North Salt Lake, Utah, passed into the presence of his Savior Jesus Christ on December 31, 2018, after a 16-month courageous battle against pancreatic cancer.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Jone (Endow), sons Greg (Liz) and Grant (Grace); siblings Peter (Julie) Sun and Pearl Nye; predeceased by parents Lily and Burke Sun, and brother Paul.
Born in Hong Kong on Oct 24, 1951, the youngest of four children born to Lily and Burke Sun, Fred’s family moved to Maryland at age 8; thereafter, his father’s work took them to Taiwan where they resided until shortly after Fred’s high school graduation from an American school. Their move back to the West Coast then marked Fred’s entrance into the world of higher learning, a world he loved for the remainder of this life.
With a strong work ethic combined with a love of learning, Fred worked odd jobs to support himself while attending UC Northridge and attained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. In 1973 Fred made the decision to pursue a degree in pharmacy, a decision which took him to Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho. It was there that he met his lifelong friend and future wife, Jone Endow, and they were married on March 13, 1976. He completed his pharmacy degree in the spring of 1977; then he and Jone moved to Reno, Nevada, where they lived for 15 years. There, Fred worked as a pharmacist, either in retail or hospital pharmacy at Washoe Medical Center.
While in Reno, sons Gregory (1984) and Grant (1986) were born; during those years Fred completed his MBA Degree while continuing to work full time as a pharmacist.
In 1993 Fred and Jone moved their family to Wichita, Kansas, where Fred assumed the position of hospital pharmacy director at Riverside Hospital. The Midwest proved to be too far from family, and after three and one-half years of Jone taking Greg and Grant to her parents’ farm in Idaho for extended summer vacations, Fred decided to seek employment West of the Rockies so his sons could be nearer to important extended family influence and relationships. In 1997 the family moved to Layton, Utah, where Fred was director of pharmacy at Ogden Regional Medical Center. Later, he worked in the home health care industry, the most recent with Community Nursing Services, the very same hospice agency that cared so well for him in the last few days of his illness.
Fred made the decision to retire in 2014 so that he could devote himself to enjoying the activities he loved: trading in the stock market, playing with technology, golfing, road biking, and working out. At the age of 65 he walked in his first and last half-marathon, along with several extended family members. He continued to be as physically active as possible, even through his 16-month fight with pancreatic cancer, walking up to five miles on a regular basis.
As a lifelong learner and appreciator of the arts, Fred devoted much time and effort to learning to play piano and banjo, even participating in a spring piano recital or two! Though he was a big fan of blue grass music, he also appreciated other genres including blues and smooth jazz. He looked forward to stage productions, musical and otherwise, that he and Jone attended together every year.
In September of 2017 Fred was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. In the following 16 months he was treated at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where he participated in clinical studies, making the decision to do what he could to advance medical science with what remained of his physical life on earth. During that time, he also acknowledged that God had gifted him precious time to draw even closer to his sons and Jone. In his last year he was able to make trips to San Diego several times, visit Portland to spend time with Grant and Grace, as well as to Seattle to attend an annual bluegrass festival with cousins. The highlight of his last year was a trip to Maui, Hawaii, where the family snorkeled and enjoyed playing on the beaches and devouring seafood. Of greatest significance: in those 16 months Fred drew closer to Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior.
On December 31, 2018, Fred stepped into the arms of Jesus. As much as he loved his family, Fred was eager to start his eternal life with Jesus.