Chih-Jin Tseng 曾治津
June 04, 1931 - November 01, 2023
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Chih-Jin Tseng 曾治津
June 04, 1931 - November 01, 2023
Obituary
Chih-Jin Tseng 曾治津
June 4, 1931 – November 1, 2023
Devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, he led a full life, made amazing by his brilliant mind, love for learning, and adaptability to even the most challenging circumstances.
The arc of his life stretched from Ruijin in Jiangxi province, where from a very young age, he waited for his parents as they left early for and came home late from their fields every day, and only ate meat (chicken) once a year on Chinese New Year; to Orange County, CA, where he drove his new Tesla and walked the hills of Laguna Woods.
Chih-jin left China for Taiwan at only 15 years old. He served in the Republic of China Navy and attended the Fu Xing Gang military academy. He studied political science at National Chengchi University, then political sociology at Cambridge and the London School of Economics. He met his wife, Wendy, while at Cambridge. They would be married for 60 years.
After England, Chih-jin returned to Taiwan, where he worked as a diplomat, and where his first daughter Evelyn was born. His placements abroad were in Hawaii, where he lived for 2 years and his second daughter Marilyn was born, then in New York City. After a few years, he quit the diplomatic service to study computer science and mathematics at NYU and to open a grocery store in Queens.
After living in New York for almost 20 years, with both daughters now in California, Chih-jin and Wendy moved to West Los Angeles, where he spent the next 33 years of his life. He taught tai chi at the Culver City Senior Center, and sometimes also tutored people in Chinese language and calligraphy.
Chih-jin loved computers and new technology. He started with a Radio Shack TRS-80 and upgraded to new computers every few years. He was fascinated with self-driving cars, navigating with Siri, artificial intelligence, and ordering Lyft through a phone app. He learned to adopt new technology his whole life, even at the age of 92.
His interests didn’t end with technology. He also wrote poetry, took nature photographs, drafted his autobiography, published books on Confucian philosophy, and read books in English and Chinese ranging from jokes and riddles to fiction to books on spirituality and history. He loved My Fair Lady, Chinese dramas, dim sum, and all kinds of food, including Thai, Indonesian, Italian and McDonald’s. He was a great cook and made steamed mantou and ginger salmon for his daughters and grandchildren.
Chih-jin was curious, kind, gentle, patient, intellectual, and funny. He found enjoyment and appreciation for life no matter the circumstances. He made the people around him happy. He was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and human being. We miss him terribly.
From his collection of poems on cherry blossoms:
爛 漫 枝 頭 春 占 工,
驀 然 綠 滿 失 春 蹤,
花 時 人 事 兩 難 駐,
似 水 流 年 太 遽 匆。
The brilliant blooms on the tips of the branches are the work of spring.
Suddenly, spring is gone, leaving only green.
The flowers’ time, like people’s, is hard to hold on to.
Like water flowing, the years hurry by too quickly.
5 responses to Chih-Jin Tseng 曾治津
Rose and Vicent, neice & neice- in-law (Puay cher's daughter and son-in-law says:
January 6, 2024
We remember him as a a very sincere and kind uncle. We miss him very much.
Daniel Long says:
January 19, 2024
Uncle Chih Jin always smiled, and because my family and I, when we visited, fell short in the speak Mandarin ability, he often smiled when we struggled to speak with him. And his smile always made things better. I remember Nicholas telling me Uncle Chih Jin was one of the most fascinating uncles (grand-) he knows. We have uncles who are lawyers, doctors, businessmen, but we never knew another uncle who wrote poetry. And that was how we thought of him, gentle, smiling, and someone who probably thought of the world with alliterations,metaphors etc. Not just a picture.or a video.
We will miss him very much….
Long family
Upper Changi, Singapore
Alice Chang says:
January 20, 2024
I am so sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to the whole family. I was fortunate I got to know your parents when I worked at the Queens grocery store. They were always soft spoken, gentle, and kind to me. I respect them so much. The world is a better place because he lived in it. He will be missed.
侄女勇兰 says:
January 23, 2024
因无法去现场,只有在此祝愿大伯在天堂一样快乐,自由!你的突然离开让家人伤心,你是家人的后盾,也是我的精神的支柱,家人都会深刻的哀悼,我知道你的意念可能是有来与我道别,也是我粗心的错过,我没有第一时间与你联系,以致到现在后悔。
David Pan says:
January 28, 2024
My mother and I wish to express our deep condolences to the Tseng family. My father Howard Pan and Mr. Tseng were colleagues at the New York City consulate for the Republic of China in the early 1970s. My sister Vivian and I grew up with Evelyn and Marilyn, and our families along with other diplomats’ families formed a close group of friends during those days. Our lives tracked closely with the Tseng family for many years through the 80s when my father’s store was two door down from Mr. Tseng’s, through today with my mother staying in close touch with Wendy. Mr. Tseng was a gentle and curious man, always very kind to everyone he met. The love being expressed for him here is a testament to the impact he had on many of us who knew him. May his memory be a blessing for the Tseng family.
David Pan
Washington, DC