Cheuk Yan William (唐卓恩) was born in Hong Kong in 1958 where he grew up with four sisters and two brothers. He studied medicine at the University of Hong Kong, graduating in 1983. He met Pendora at North Point Gospel Church and they married in November 1986. After initially training in paediatrics, together with his wife he moved to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1990 to finish his training in his chosen speciality of clinical virology. During this period their first daughter, Sonia, was born. His first consultant appointment was in Liverpool in 1992, where the family lived for 8 years, with the new addition of their second daughter, June, in 1994. Later, the family expanded to include two pet rabbits and the brief stay of a rogue hamster. 

 

He seemed to like moving progressively south, as his next post as a Consultant Virologist at St Thomas’ Hospital brought the family to Epsom in 2000. In 2013 he moved to Barts Health NHS Trust as a Consultant Clinical Virologist and later took on the role as Clinical Lead of the Department of Infection. He had great interest in research and had published over one hundred articles; his specialities included viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections and HIV Medicine. He was also heavily involved with the teaching and examination of medical students and junior doctors, holding the positions of Honorary Reader at Queen Mary University and Chief Examiner in Medical Virology for the Royal College of Pathologists. 

At home, William enjoyed a number of leisurely and intellectual pursuits, which ranged from gardening, and walking outdoors to learning Italian. Most recently he had taken up running – he was a regular participant and volunteer at the Nonsuch Park Run, and was aiming to complete a half marathon after running two 10k races this year. To his family’s amusement, he was also an advocate of excel spreadsheets and graphs, tracking everything from the growth statistics of his daughters to his 5k park run times. He was planning to retire in December 2018 and hoped to travel with Pendora to New Zealand amongst other places. He also entertained the idea of getting a dog, but much to his children’s disappointment decided that he would prefer to keep pet chickens. Most of all he was looking forward to spending more time with his family, his plants and his garden. We will miss him dearly.