Alice Kao
Feb. 2, 1955-Feb. 25, 2025
Menlo Park, California

Alice Kao was born on February 2, 1955 in Taiwan to Shuchen “Suzi” Kao and Chun Young Kao, an Army General in the Nationalist Party of China. She was the youngest of four children.

She attended the Dominican International School in Taipei and the American School of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, where her family immigrated in the 1960s. She then earned her MD from the Faculty of Medicine of Teresópolis, followed by a residency in Hepatology.

In 1982, she immigrated to the U.S., where she passed the Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX) and completed a second residency in Neonatology at Kaiser Permanente in San Francisco. She later joined the pediatrics departments of North East Medical Services (NEMS) and UCSF St. Mary’s Hospitals, as well as the private practice of pediatrician Dr. Joseph Kushner.

Alice loved traveling to different countries, taking road trips throughout Northern California, and making new friends wherever she went, with a special penchant for children and animals. She was quick-witted, good-spirited, and one of the funniest individuals that many of us have ever known. The world was her stage, and her vivacious energy was singular. Up until the very end, she was meeting old friends for lunch, cracking jokes, and enjoying the town.

She died unexpectedly in her sleep on the morning of February 25, 2025, just one week shy of seventy years of age, as her birthday was recorded on the lunar calendar and never converted. She will always remain the young woman that she was at heart.

She is survived by her daughter Adrienne, her brother Sean, and sisters Lucia and Mimi, as well as many nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at a later date.