Chi-Yi Lin, DDS, a pediatric dentist and long-time resident of Falls Church and Castleton, Virginia, passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 10, 2021 at the age of 54, following a brief struggle with cancer. Chi-Yi is survived by his husband, Jack Varga, MD of Castleton; his father, Yuan Shuh Lin; two brothers (Chi-Hung and Chi-Ming) and many aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews in Taiwan. He was predeceased by his mother, Pong Lai Chen. Chi-Yi was born in Taitung, Taiwan and lived much of his early life in Pingtong, Taiwan.
He completed his initial dental education at Taiwan Medical University, receiving a DDS in 1991, and then came to New York City to train as a pediatric dentist at New York University. After meeting his future husband in 1996, he completed another DDS at New York University College of Dentistry in 1999 to obtain licensure in the United States. On Oct. 17, 2007, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
On Sept. 27, 2013, he married Jack, an ophthalmologist. He completed a graduate certificate in Health Information Technology from George Mason University in 2011. He was a faculty member at West Virginia University for 3 years and worked in pediatric dental practices in New Jersey, Maryland, Rhode Island and Virginia. Chi-Yi was Board Certified in Pediatric Dentistry in both the United States and Taiwan. He was an active member of the American, Virginia and Taiwan Dental Associations. He provided charity dental services through various programs, including Head Start, Special Olympics and “Give Kids a Smile”.
Chi-Yi enjoyed travel, both across the US and globally, often dining at internationally renowned restaurants, including #1 Noma, Osteria Francescana and Cellar de Can Roca. He and Jack visited 37 states and 25 countries, including various themed vacations from 01-01-01 to 12-12-12 (Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney Feb 2, D-Day in Normandy June 6). He enjoyed vegetable gardening and planting trees at the Castleton house.
A memorial celebration of life service will be held at Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 Broad St, Falls Church on Aug. 28, 2021, with visitation from 1 – 3 p.m. and service from 3 – 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org).
