Hsi-Mei Tseng Lin

On August 30, 2023, in Los Angeles, California, under the crimson gaze of one of the fullest Blue Moons, our beloved mother, Hsi-Mei Tseng Lin (Angela Lin), passed away, into a peaceful resting place, with her husband and family by her side.

Hsi-Mei, her name in Mandarin Chinese, was born on October 1, 1937, in Tainan, a small port city in southern Taiwan. Her father, Tien-Su Tseng, was a photographer and owned a photo studio, which made little profit because he often rendered his services to others without compensation. Tien-Su Tseng, was smart and spoke Japanese and had hundreds of Japanese songs memorized in his repertoire to sing with his friends. Her mother, Yeh Su-Oh Tseng, was frugal out of necessity and was quiet and of good nature with a delicate smile. Hsi-Mei’s Japanese nickname was “Kimiko”, as a child, and at an early age, she was focused on academic study and becoming #1 in her school, in hopes it would help her family survive. She assisted her father in his photography business, and tutored other students to earn extra money to help her family. After graduating from Kaohsiung Girls High School as a top student, she attended the prestigious Taiwan National University with a full scholarship, graduating with a degree in Foreign Languages, fluent in English and Japanese. Her parents, especially her father, were indeed very fond and proud of her. At the university, she tutored students and continued to send money home to help with her family’s living expenses. While in school, she was nicknamed “Dictionary” (for her prodigious memory) by her fellow students, and after graduating with honors, Hsi-Mei taught 2 years of high school at her alma mater, Kaohsiung Girls High School. It was at the home of one of her students, where she first glimpsed her husband-to-be, Jen-Tao Lin.

Jen-Tao, also known as Jim, was also a graduate of Taiwan National University, who majored in economics. It was not until later that they were formally introduced, and Hsi-Mei flew to Portland, Oregon to meet her future husband. After she arrived in the United States, Ah-Dao (Jen-Tao’s nickname in Hokkien Taiwanese) welcomed her at the airport and Hi-Bi (Hsi-Mei’s name in Hokkien Taiwanese) stayed with a pastor’s family. It was there as young, foreign graduate students in Eugene, Oregon, that Ah-Dao and Hi-Bi were married on April 6, 1963.

This began a romance that lasted over 60 wonderful years. The couple was inseparable, traveling together near and far, and were always looking for each other, even in the same house.

Hsi-Mei had a big heart and tried to help her family, friends and others. When she was still a student in Taiwan, she learned that one of the school staff was injured in a car accident. His family was poor and had no way to pay for medical bills. While Hsi-Mei herself was barely able to make ends meet, she decided to start a drive, and went out to ask for donations to help the injured husband. Because of her good nature and strong will, she raised the money from others who cared, and brought it to the hospital. The wife was so very grateful she cried with joy and thankfulness.

After the birth of their first child, whom they named Audrey (after Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady,”, one of their first American movies that they saw), Hsi-Mei and Jen Tao returned to their hometown city of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where sons E-Ho and E-Tom were born. In 1972, with hopes of a better future in the United States, the family emigrated to Los Angeles to live in the suburb of Brentwood. The growing family learned the American lifestyle, however, Hsi-Mei and Jen-Tao were strict with their kids in education and also to retain their Taiwanese heritage – it was mandatory to speak Hokkien Taiwanese at home. They also emphasized the study of Mandarin by traveling back to Taiwan every summer and hiring home tutors for kids to study Chinese. In her newly married life, Hsi-Mei learned with cookbooks, some trial and error, and loved to cook the dishes of famous chefs, like Fu Pei Mei. As a wife and mother, she focused on her husband and kids, always supporting and encouraging them in their work, school and everyday life. Her passions in food, both cooking and eating, in the art of Chinese brush painting and Chinese calligraphy, were the many ways she shared and expressed her love for us. Above all else, she loved to gather her family and friends together to share her life with them.

In 1996, she lost her youngest son, E-Tom Lin, whom she loved so dearly. Her heart has never felt the same since. Hsi-Mei is survived by her husband, Jen-Tao Lin, who just turned 86, and their two other children, Audrey I-Dui Lin and E-Ho Lin, and 5 grandchildren. Audrey Lin Slagerman, lives in Hermosa Beach and Brentwood Park, with her husband, Chris Slagerman. They have two children, Alyssa Lin Ai-Li Slagerman, who lives in Santa Barbara, California and Erin Lin Ai-Lin Slagerman, who lives in Los Angeles. E-Ho Lin is married to Caroline Kao Lin, and they live in Palos Verdes Estates with their three children, Kathryn Ai-Shin Lin, a sophomore at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, Tobe Ai-Shan Lin, a sophomore in high school, and Jeremy Ai-Hai Lin, in 8th grade. We are all of us very blessed and thankful to have had Hsi-Mei Tseng Lin in our lives, and we remember her always in our minds and hearts forever.