Obituary

Angie H. Lau, 81, passed away at home in Ladera Ranch, California on the 21^st  of June 2019.

Angie was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ming-En Cheng in Fuzhou, Fujian, China in 1938.  Her family moved to Hong Kong to escape the Japanese invasion of China when she was a baby. Following Hong Kong’s capitulation to the Japanese, the family returned to Fuzhou.  She was educated at Do-Seuk Girls School (founded in the 19^thcentury by Anglican missionaries) and the Affiliated High School of the Fujian Normal University.  Thereafter, she attended Peking University from 1956-1963, completing a six-year degree in Biology.  At Peking University, she met Robert Lau, a fellow student in the Biology Department. After graduating from university Angie and Robert both worked as research scientists at the Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology, Academia Sinica (The Chinese Academy of Sciences). They were married in 1963 in Shanghai, and welcomed a son and a daughter a few years later.

In 1978 Angie immigrated to Hong Kong with her two children, where they joined Robert, who had immigrated there a couple of years earlier.  In 1980 the family immigrated to the United States, settling in Orange County, California. They initially lived in Orange for a year, then in Huntington Beach for seven years, before moving to south Orange County, where Angie and Robert lived in Laguna Niguel for nearly 30 years.  In the early 1980s Angie worked at Printronix, which manufactured industrial printers.  In the late 1980s to early 1990s she conducted research in the Biology Department of the University of California, Irvine.

In addition to her love for science, Angie enjoyed literature, art and music.  She had been an accomplished Chinese calligrapher since childhood; in retirement she continued to practice calligraphy and studied Chinese brush painting. She took great pleasure in reading, watching films, listening to classical music and attending concerts.  In addition, she was fond of travelling and learning about different cultures.

Angie was always generous to her extended family, friends, and strangers alike. She helped many in need throughout her life and often welcomed newcomers and visitors to her home.  Most of all, she devoted herself to her family, particularly to raising her children and giving them a nurturing and stable home despite the challenges of having to acclimatize to the cultural and language differences in her adopted homeland.  Her love and devotion provided the security and example that enabled her children to thrive and grow into confident and compassionate adults.

She is survived by her husband of 56 years Robert; her son David (Margaret Connerty) Lau, her daughter Susan (John) von Wentzel; grandchildren Maximillian and Clare Lau, Christoph, Sophie and Matthew von Wentzel; sister Zheng Xiao, brothers Zheng Shang and Zheng Hui, four nephews, along with her extended family; and numerous lifelong friends.  She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend.  She will be missed greatly by all who knew her.

Donations may be made in Angie’s name to the Lung Cancer Foundation of America:
https://secure.lcfamerica.org/np/clients/lcfamerica/donation.jsp?_ga=2.142108146.15291968.1562625886-1335289757.1562625886