I-Hsin Chang

I-Hsin Chang passed away on March 6 in Shoreline at the age of 97. He was born in 1916 in a rural area near Nanjing, China. In his youth he had only a few years of formal schooling. He worked as a health inspector and studied at night to further his education. In 1943 he entered Guizhou University as a civil engineering student. He finished his studies after the Sino-Japanese War, and worked as an engineer for the Nationalist government. Following the 1949 revolution he moved to Taiwan to continue his career. He attended U.C. Berkeley engineering school for a year, and later took a position with Taiwan’s Joint Commission on Rural Reconstruction. There he managed multi-million-dollar projects to build and improve rural water, sanitary, and drainage systems. He retired as the Commission’s Chief Engineer in 1979.

Through his public health work I-Hsin met a nurse, Hwa-Chin (Lola) La. They married and raised a family in Taiwan, and later emigrated to the United States. They are longtime residents of Seattle’s Lake City area. Early in his retirement I-Hsin ran a small grocery store on Ravenna Avenue. He enjoyed gardening, and maintained a productive backyard vegetable patch for many years. He attended childcare classes and lovingly helped to raise and care for his grandchildren.

I-Hsin is remembered by his family and friends as quiet and disciplined, though his compassion often shone through. He considered his Rural Reconstruction work a duty to his country, and was known to refuse gifts from grateful contractors. His daughters recall his long talks on the virtues of persistence and hard work. Yet he could be moved to tears by a dramatic movie or book. His personal journey from a peasant background during China’s civil war to a position of responsibility and service was an inspiration to his family.

Survivors include I-Hsin’s wife, Hwa-Chin; his daughters and their spouses Alice Chang and Thatch Harvey (Lake Forest Park), Sharan Chang and Bill Chen (Houston), Kathleen Chang and Mike Pudden (Seattle), and Ya-Pei Chang and Ray Holden (Seattle); and nine grandchildren: Allen, Michael, Megan, Evan, Alex, Derek, Stephanie, Rachel, and Casie.

A viewing is planned for Friday, March 15, 2013 at Acacia Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Seattle, followed by burial at Holyrood Catholic Cemetery in Shoreline.

The family wishes to express their thanks to the staff of Evans Adult Family Home, where I-Hsin was a resident for the last two years.