Kim-Mai Tang, 60, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, passed away on April 11, 2023 at Bat Yam Beach in Tel Aviv during her travel to Israel. She is survived by her four children William, Jamie-Claire, Olivia-Grace, Yanni Rose, and daughter-in-law, Annie.
Kim-Mai was born on July 12, 1962 to Tăng Trung Lương (father) and Tào Tuyết Anh (mother) in Phú Quốc, Vietnam as one of 12 children. In 1978, she moved to the United States. She graduated from Great Neck South High School, during which she was cared for by Lynn Slasor, whom she regarded as her American mother. She then went on to study Biology at Mount Holyoke College, where she was looked after by her other mother, Vicha Hajdamowicz, and her husband Leo.
She married Francis Poon, with whom she had William, her first child. The marriage ended in divorce though they remained friends. She later married Thanh Buu Chau, with whom she had Jamie-Claire, Olivia-Grace, and Yanni Rose. They moved to Philadelphia in 2002, where Kim-Mai would spend the next 21 years. She became a Christian and was transformed by God’s love. Her faith, along with her growing knowledge of natural healing remedies and her work as a social worker and home health aide, became the foundation for her mission in Philadelphia (and later around the world) to bring love and healing to everyone she met. After her second divorce, she committed herself as a single mother to care for not only her children, but hundreds of other children and families in the Southwest Philadelphia community. With the support of her “Mama” Emma Morris and so many others whom she called friend, she poured all her love, energy, and resources into her WJOY Ministries. To this day, her memory is cherished by thousands across the city of Philadelphia and beyond.
“Mama” or “Doctor” Kim was determined, strong, and fierce – never afraid of anything, whether to try new things or travel to new places. She was incredibly smart, resourceful, and determined – she could do anything she put her mind to. Most of all, she was deeply loving, always going above and beyond for her family, neighbors, adopted children, and strangers she met on the street. She found peace spending time with her family at the beach, administering herbal medicines, and planting flowers in her garden. Her home and arms were open to everyone, always.
Her last days on earth were spent eating her favorite foods in her birthplace of Phu Quoc, visiting her childhood nanny in Ben Tre, receiving acupuncture healing in Hong Kong, and walking the land of her beloved Jesus Christ in Tel Aviv, Israel. She spent her final days resting on the beach, one of her favorite places to find peace. She is now rejoicing in Heaven in the presence of God.
