Dr. Ruey Jiin Yu Ph.D., O.M.D.

Born date – March 23, 1932

Ruey is survived by his wife, Ho Chin Yu of 65 years

Children

Elie Yu-Yuan and Spouse Arthur Yuan - Naples, FL

Kenneth Yu and Spouse Christopher Stahley - Orlando FL

Megan Yu and Spouse Patrick Thibeault - Chalfont, PA

Grand Children

Taylor Yuan - Mayfield Heights, OH

Shelby Roueche and Spouse Jeff Roueche – Denver, CO

Siblings – Brother

Jim Wei and Spouse Peggy Wei - Canada

He passed peacefully on January 31, 2024 at the age of 91

Ruey lived an extraordinary life. He was born in Japanese-occupied Taiwan into extreme poverty, the son of a railway janitor.  Early on his brilliance and insatiable learning appetite earned him opportunities to pursue his educational dreams. He received a scholarship to National Taiwan University, majoring in Chemistry. Following his undergraduate degree, Ruey left Taiwan for North America in 1962. He received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1966 at the University of Ottawa on a doctoral scholarship and was later bestowed an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa, in a special convocation ceremony in Horsham, PA in November 2017.

Ruey felt that it was his calling to become a research scientist to invent and discover. He worked in the skin research department at Temple University in Philadelphia, before partnering with Dr. Eugene Van Scott to discover the benefits of fruit acids for treating disfiguring skin diseases. These fruit acids now known as Alpha Hydroxy Acids or AHAs also had remarkable properties for anti-aging. AHAs are widely used today for their anti-aging skin care benefits and can be found in many retail skin care and dermatology products. Drs Yu and Van Scott became known as "The Scientists" behind anti-aging creams. Drs Yu and Van Scott are known for their discovery of AHAs and have over 100 US and foreign patents. Together they founded The NeoStrata Company in 1988. The hugely successful company was later sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2016.

The extraordinary life of Ruey is memorialized in his memoir "Journey of a Thousand Miles" written by Kate Jaimet and published by University of Ottawa Press.

Ruey was very generous to those he loved, the people that contributed to his successes, and the initiatives he believed in. He started an endowment fund at the University of Ottawa with a large personal donation for the Department of Chemistry, awarding annual scholarships to outstanding graduate students.

Ruey cherished his family and grandchildren.  He loved family time, playing ping-pong every night after dinner with his wife. Testing the grandchildren when they were little, Ruey would ask them science questions. He also enjoyed shooting hoops after dinner with the kids in the driveway. Later in life he discovered a passion for golf and growing vegetables. Ruey's legacy is his accomplishments in medicine, his loving family and all the successes he had in life! He will be sorely missed by those who loved him the most.

Services and Interment are private at the convenience of the family.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Dr. Ruey Jiin Yu Ph.D., O.M.D.'s memory to:

Alzheimer's Association. https://www.alz.org/ .

American Heart Association. https://www.heart.org/ .

Tunnel to Towers Foundation. https://t2t.org/ .

Arrangements are by the Sadler-Suess Funeral Home & Crematory, Telford, PA.