Obituary

In loving memory of Zhu Wan Qing
Ching Hok Oan
April 28, 1916 ~ November 9, 2008

My mom was born in the town called Tio Sai. It was located in the city of Quanzhou Fujian Province, China. My mom was born into a large family as the 12th child of thirteen. Growing up as a young child, she was home schooled on language and culture. She lived a life of being carefree and having little responsibility. The family home was near a river where she enjoyed playing and swimming in the water. Life was simple and comfortable. It was customary that her future husband will be pre-arranged. At the young age of eighteen she married Chan Chun Po.

She left China in 1939, during the Civil War by a ferry boat to be with her husband in Baguio, Philippines. During this travel, she survived a terrible hurricane from the Pacific Ocean that lasted for three days.

Their life together was a journey that was inspirational. She encouraged us to have a good work ethic, study hard and save for a rainy day. She did not speak the Tagalog language, but she communicated somehow with the local people and they understood and loved her. She has the belief that nothing comes easy in life, but success will come through hard work. She is a very smart business woman,thinking and planning ahead of what to do. Every morning she wakes up early and barely has 4 hours of sleep. During World War II, together they worked very hard to support their 7 children.

During the first fifteen years of the family grocery business, it was filled with many hardships and struggles. Through this experience, she gained the knowledge of developing a good business sense and perseverance. Then later they opened a family furniture business which is still in operation. Diligence is a word that describes Mom’s work ethic.

Mom and Dad instilled the character qualities of integrity, honesty and to have a good education, and to embrace a Christian life style.

She retired in the early1980s to care for her grandchildren in America. It was a blessing for her to bathe the grandchildren. She enjoyed cooking for the grandkids and to watch them grow up. The grandkids will always be indebted to their Grandma.

She enjoyed traveling around the United States,especially her cruise to Alaska was a dream that became reality in 1998. Her visit to China in 1997 after more than 50 years away from her ancestral home was a sweet homecoming that brought a lot of good memories of her childhood days.

All of us will miss her very much and now she is resting in peace with Our Lord and Savior and will be with her husband in heaven. There is a Chinese Proverb that fits my mother’s journey quote ‘Do not hope to reach a destination without leaving the shore.’

We will surely miss her warm smile and joyful laughter. We appreciate and thank each of you for your presence, prayers and to celebrate her life.

God bless you all!