Cheng-Yang Wu

Cheng-Yang Wu passed away peacefully in Burnaby, BC, on Friday, November 4, 2022, less than 2 months from his 91st birthday. He was surrounded by close family members at St. Michael’s Centre, where he had resided since March 2020. Cheng-Yang is predeceased by Eng-I (Tsai) Wu in 2019, wife of 63 years. He is survived by his two sons, Chu Wu (Ruby Tsai) and Ting Wu (Risa Lin), his daughter Ring Sasaki (Manabu Sasaki) and 4 grandchildren: Jessica, Patricia, Brandon, and Johnathan.

Born in Taiwan on December 27 1931, Cheng-Yang was the eldest son in his family of 4 boys and 3 girls, at a time when “Formosa” (Taiwan) was Japanese ruled in between the first and Second World War In his youth and early adulthood, he was both privileged and able to attend the finest schools in Taichung and Taipei. In the early 1960’s, Cheng-Yang studied abroad at Tokyo University in Japan to obtain his Master degree in Forestry. In the late 1960’s, he earned a bursary to Denmark to study furniture making techniques.

In 1969, he came to Canada to pursue a PhD degree at the University of British Columbia. He then reunited with Eng-I and their children in Vancouver, Canada in 1970, becoming the first among his many relatives to eventually immigrate to Canada and USA. For many years, Cheng-Yang was an active participant, volunteer and leader in the Taiwanese-Canadian community. He served as President of Taiwanese-Canadian Association and Vancouver Taiwanese Senior Society. He dedicated thousands of hours coordinating programs, events and trips as a volunteer.

Together for many years Cheng-Yang and his wife Eng-I were actively involved with their church, choral groups and traveling around the world. They were members of the Vancouver Chapter of American Rhododendron Society, which led to many road trips up and down West Coast and across North America on adventures in pursuit of their hobby.

In the late 1970’s, Cheng-Yang worked many years as a power engineer for Hammond Mill in Maple Ridge. Then Cheng-Yang and Eng-I bought a 46-acre land with their friends, built greenhouses and propagated tens of thousands of rhododendrons, azaleas, and other shrubs, which was the genesis of Formosa Nursery. Around 1980, they started planting blueberry plants on the same farmland. These blueberries are still an integral part of Formosa Farm today, sustaining the next generations of their family in Maple Ridge.

In his own way, Cheng-Yang crafted a long and meaningful life with vision, courage, hard work, integrity and resilience. To many people in his life - as a son, a man, a father, a grandfather, a friend, a relative, a colleague, a community member, a mentor - Cheng-Yang was a humble and faithful servant-leader. He was loved, admired and respected by many.

A memorial service for Cheng-Yang will be held Saturday, November 26, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Ocean View Funeral Home, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby, BC V5J1A4. A reception to follow will occur Saturday, November 26, 2022 at 1:00 PM, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby, BC. An inurnment service will occur Saturday, November 26, 2022 at 2:45 PM at Ocean View Burial Park, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby, BC V5J1A4.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.OceanViewFuneral.com for the Wu family.