I met Jiahui at a Linguistic conference a couple years ago. Although I didn't know him closely, I was left impression that he was a great friend, colleague, and academic scholar.  I just learnt this sad news and wanted to send my deepest condolences to Jiahui's family and friends. 
Jiahui, R.I.P.

在北师珠就读期间曾有幸与嘉辉共事。当时设计学院有两位德国留学生需要学习中文，负责的教师问我能否授课，但我是对外汉语的涉外管理方向，所以去拜托了当时对外汉语国际教育方向成绩最优异的嘉辉，决定由他来主讲我来辅助。嘉辉专业的教案，清晰明了的讲授，以及温和亲切的风格，深受学生喜爱。可惜当时没有保存影像资料，只留下了设计学院给我们开具的工作证明。在大学时代，嘉辉是我心目中最适合教书育人，最有可能在教育行业熠熠生光的才子。相信两位德国同学，以及许许多多嘉辉教授过的学生，会带着从嘉辉身上学到的东西，带着他的知识、品质、行动所带来的启示和鼓励，走到更高远的地方。祝嘉辉的亲友一切安好。

Jiahui's passing was such tragic news. I met him at a linguistics summer school in Crete and saw him again when he visited London. Although I did not know him closely, he stood out for his kindness and sense of humour, and I am sure that he will be greatly missed by many people as he had a positive influence on so many lives. My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. RIP.

家辉是我大学的挚友也是我朋友当中唯一一个在每次聊天时都会问我：“最近读了什么书？”的人，这些年他在美国我在香港但是我们依然保持紧密的联系，大部分内容是关于书籍的阅读以及他论文的一些进展情况，每次路过香港他最喜欢的总是茶餐厅，我们一起分享彼此的进步与成长。最后一次见面是2019年12月在香港的中环，当时离他博士毕业大约并不遥远，我们还约定一起去西雅图见，后面疫情原因他已有很久没回国。
嘉辉与我而言是在人生重要决定上会寻求意见和帮助的重要朋友，得知不幸消息那刻我非常的痛心难过，并且直到现在都很难接受到这个事实。但斯人已去，留给我们的爱却永远被珍藏，这个如阳光一样的人会永远在记忆之中散发着温暖和智慧的光芒。没人可以永远年轻，少年却永远向阳。

Jiahui and I got to know each other through a project we were doing with Hai Hu and Aini Li. I enjoyed every meeting we had together because Jiahui usually offered brilliant and well-thought insights and also his great sense of humor made the meetings very enjoyable. Jiahui was also extremely thoughtful and generous. Whenever we had questions with our projects, he didn't hesitate to  help us providing his opinions and thoughts even until late nights. What I mostly appreciate was the friendship we built together when trying to find a Chinese teaching position in the US. We shared experiences and thoughts from our interviews and internships. He was so cheerful and encouraging to others even when things didn't go as smoothly for him. I will forever regret for loosing a friend like him.

Jiahui, it was my great honor, joy, and privilege to work with you in my first year as a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and I am heartbroken to be writing these words here.  All of us at the University of Pittsburgh have taken such joy and pride in following your successes.

More personally for myself, you stayed quite strongly in my heart and mind.  As I knew you, you were an intellectual, a true scholar but also possessing of a beautiful combination of kindness, empathy, humor, and broad interest in people and the world around you.  It is no wonder you have had such a powerful impact in far too short a period of time.  I know deeply those of us who had the great pleasure of knowing you are so much the better for it, your legacy and the positive impact you have had will carry on for a long time.  


When I think back on all the people I’ve met at the University of Washington, Juahui stands out as a beacon of kindness, patience, and humor. His support as the undergraduate linguistics advisor was invaluable in helping me find my path and making me feel excited and confident in my college career. I never saw him without a smile on his face, and I don’t know a single person who knew him who didn’t adore him. I will miss his presence dearly. 

I'd like to share some of my experiences with Jiahui when I was TA coordinator and he was a new TA.  The first quarter I visited his class, I wrote:"Jiahui has a friendly, relaxed personality for teaching.  He genuinely seems to be trying to help his students learn the material, and it is obvious that the students like him...Jiahui's basic kindness goes a long way towards making him an effective TA."  After my visit, I pointed out some ways he might teach the class that might make it a better for the students as well as for him as instructor. I encouraged him to try out these ideas in the next class and report back. The next day he wrote:  "Thank you so much for the detailed report...! I changed the way to lead my second section. For instance, I gave them more time to do each of the exercises, and indeed it turns out much better than walking through one by one. By doing that, more students were willing to answer the questions...I will also do more like the transcriptions of their names after we talk about vowels. I can tell this would greatly help me to teach the section well! Thanks again for your suggestions, I learnt a lot from the discussion we had yesterday!..." This response shows why Jiahui was such a beloved member of our department. He was academically thorough while also a very decent, considerate, respectful and humble human being. The next quarter I visited his class, I wrote: "Jiahui's final slides on phonotactics, which he prepared himself, were absolutely brilliant.  They consisted of loans from English into Standard Chinese, and vice versa.  Both the source pronunciation and the L2 (accented) pronunciation were transcribed, but Jiahui called on Chinese L1 or English L1 students as appropriate to pronounce them for the rest of the class.  The class clearly found this data extremely interesting..." As I look back on the years that Jiahui was with us at UW, I would describe him as a great citizen of the department, both intellectually and personally.


Dear Jiahui, your passing shocked me as I'm sure it did everyone. There are so many big and small things I wish I could share with you, like how just the week before you left us I finally cracked open this book 《消失的国民》 that you mailed to me last year. It was one of so many thoughtful gestures of steadfast friendship you’ve shown 学姐 and me over the last few years. The last time I saw you was at our wedding in Beijing, but I never imagined that would be the last time we met face to face. I can’t believe this accident ripped you away from all that was awaiting you, especially at the end of such a long year of separation between people. One of my favorite memories with you was the TAM seminar with Karen where we were the only two students, and we used to walk to Little Thai to get dinner and talk about linguistics and everything else in our lives afterwards. Wherever you are, I hope you know that you will ALWAYS be missed and cherished by the many people whose lives you touched.

亲爱的嘉辉：

回忆过去，你是一个尊师重道，友爱同学，对知识学术有自己钻研追求的优秀孩子，可惜天妒英才，我们悲痛万分，惟愿嘉辉一路走好，在天国一切安好。永远怀念你！

大舅父张广生及家人上

Dear Jiahui:
You were a talented kid who is also kind to everyone. However, God took you from us and left us in deep sorrow. Wishing you can rest in peace. We will miss you forever.


怀念嘉辉
我们的好孩子！ “勤奋好学”是大家对你公认的标签，你爱学习、乖巧懂事，人见人夸，宽以待人，与人为善，是我们的骄傲。
这段时间，我一直回忆过去和你在一起的点滴。记得那次西雅图之行，我们朝夕相处，你充当我们的翻译、导游和司机，带我们寻美食、逛街、游览观光，每到一地你都认真介绍，尽显知识渊博。最难忘的是那天下着雨，你带我们参观你的学校，在雨中，你介绍课室、图书馆和一座座美丽的建筑，看着你认真又自豪的样子，感觉得到你身上洋溢的青春、热情和善良！
寒窗苦读二十几年，你的一生都在读书；书，是你的至爱，它占满了你的房间；你喜欢校园生活，喜欢听那朗朗的读书声；你希望毕业做老师，现在梦想就在咫尺，你却匆匆走了……让我们心如刀割、无比悲痛！
亲爱的嘉辉，我们会永远铭记你的英容笑貌。
愿你在天堂，一切安好！

小舅母齐伟萍

Jiahui:
You are a clever boy who is always hard-working and kind to everyone in your life. We are all so proud of you.

I still remember when we traveled in Seattle, you were our tourist guide, translator, and driver. You bought us to eat delicious food, shopping and visiting tourist attractions. You were so knowledgeable and can introduce each place in such detail. That day was unforgettable. You showed us around your university, the classrooms, the library, and all the other beautiful buildings. I can feel your passion and kindness at that time.

You study very hard for so many years and spend almost all your time reading books that you liked. You enjoy being on campus, learning, teaching. You wished to become a teacher, which you already achieved. But now you passed away and left us in deep sorrow.

My dear Jiahui, we will all remember your smile and your face, hoping you can rest peacefully in heaven. 


Jiahui was my former classmate, TA, and linguistics advisor and one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I remember visiting his office for linguistics advising many times, first for just inquiring about the linguistics minor before eventually coming to him saying I wanted to major in linguistics. I may never have majored in linguistics without him. He was always so helpful, whether that be with helping me plan my graduation path, syntax homework, or just someone to nerd out about linguistics with. I feel so bad for him bc he just finished his PhD thesis and just landed an academic job. And his parents too who just lost their only child. I looked up to Jiahui 學長，and he would've been such a fantastic professor and I would've been proud to call him Dr. Huang. I'm gonna miss him even though I was never very close to him. Even people who you aren't best friends with can have a huge impact on your life. I'm gonna miss him and I wish I had one last chance to talk to him. It still doesn't feel real.

黄嘉辉 一路走好

回忆小时候的嘉辉，是那么的可爱，乖巧，聪明，尤其与世无争的样子难以忘怀，嘉辉6岁学游泳时闹别扭的情景历历在目，你年少时便写得一手优美流畅的好字，在当今90后也难找出几人。努力奋斗二十几载，终于出人头地，成为一代天之骄子，本可为人师表，培育后人，无奈天妒英才，就这样撒手人寰，实在可惜，成一憾事，作为家人感觉无比悲痛，同时也为嘉辉的成就觉得无比的自豪和骄傲。希望嘉辉你一路走好，在天堂上继续完成自己的梦想，保佑我们大家身体健康！平安渡过这次疫情。

                                                                                                                 舅父张广才上

Jiahui:
You were a clever kid with a gentle soul. Time passed away so fast. I can still remember I taught you how to swim when you were six years old.  You were always the outstanding one in your generation. The beautiful handwriting you had deeply impressed me at that time. After years of hard-working and studying, you finally became a teacher whose passion could always impress his student, which we are all very proud of.

Your sudden pass away is a great loss to all of us and left us in deep sorrow.  I wish you all the best and keep pursuing your dream in heaven.


jiahui was a cherish friend, I still remember the time when I was looking for a graduate linguistic student who could help me with my study, edith recommended him without hesitation and said he helped many people, I think my duration at UW would not be fruitful without the assistance from him.

亲爱的表弟嘉辉：
乖、好学已成为你标志性的代名词，每次有人跟我聊起图书馆、学习等相关领域，我都会情不自禁且自豪地跟别人提起你优异的学习成绩，讲述你是怎样从一所很普通的初中一步一步获得如今的成就。我总与单位里的同事说我表弟今年就要博士毕业回来了，可惜天妒英才！上帝还是不舍得把你送回到我们身边，带走你了。当听到噩耗的我悲痛万分…
你是我们家的骄傲，愿你在天堂一切安好，永远怀念你，我亲爱的表弟！ 
细表哥张俊豪上

My dear cousin:
You were a clever person who was eager to study. I am so proud of you. Whenever talking to others about learning, it reminds me of you. I like to tell others about your story, how you achieve your goal at a young age. I also told my colleagues that you already got a doctor’s degree and were about to come back this year. However, the god still not willing to let you back to us. I am in great grief when I heard about the sad news.
You are proud of the family, wish you can rest peacefully in heaven. I  will miss you forever.



表哥，从小到大，无论是小时候集游戏王卡牌，买五毛钱两颗的可乐糖，还是读书时候中考、高考，甚至是毕业后申请研究生，都有你带着我。谢谢你，一直以来，能照顾和包容，这个只比你小了半年的表妹。

你是一个乐于分享、细心，又温柔的人。读书的时候，你比我高一年级，于是每次见面，你总会给我推荐一些辅导书，告诉我解题方法，还不厌其烦地向我讲解每一道例题。我从你身上总能学到许多东西，但更多地是被你对待学习的热忱感染。对于各类知识，特别是文学类的知识，你总是充满了热情，这些热情转化为满满的能量，促使你从各个地方汲取相关的信息:书本、报纸、网络，与人的沟通……在收集了这么多的内容以后，吸收并规整成属于自己的知识库。更难能可贵的是，你非常乐于，也善于与别的人分享你的所得。所以我能想像，你的学生们该有多幸福，能拥有一个不吝分享，又循循善诱的老师。

对我来讲，你是兄长、是学习上的导师，更是挚友。能分享各自有趣的见闻，分享自己的专业所长。还能就某些事件发表观点，意见一致时，能感受到被认同的欣喜，意见不一致时，也能从各自论述中找到新的角度与观点。

和所有人一样，在知悉你突然离去的消息后，也是悲痛万分。但我更愿意相信，与其说是永远地离开，你只是比我们都早一步去到了那个没有灾祸的彼岸。相信在那个新的地方，你也肯定能充满能量地过好每一天。我们也会在这里更用心地生活，希望到将来某一天再见的时候，还能和你畅聊彼此生活中的精彩点滴。
愿你在那边一切安好。

                                                                                      表妹：陈相颖


Jiahui, my cousin, you were always there standing by me since we were children. You taught me how to play Yu-Gi-Oh card games, bought me super cola candy, help me with exams when we were in school, guided me when applying for master's degree courses. You are a big brother to me, even though I am only half-year younger than you. Thank you very much for being patient and helpful through these years.

You are a thoughtful person with a gentle soul who is also very willing to share with others. When we were still in school, you always recommended helpful reference books to me,  told me learning methods, explained to me the text sentence by sentence. I learned a lot from you at that time, but most importantly, inspired by your passion for learning. You were always eager to pursue knowledge through books, newspapers, the Internet, and so on. Absorbed and sorted out the information that you gather, and very happy to share the knowledge you got with others. I can imagine how lucky your students were, having a tutor like you, who was good at teaching and willing to share.

To me, you are a big brother, a tutor, and most importantly, a best friend. You were the person with who I can share cool things, talked about our academic major, and discuss specific topics. We had joy when agreeing on the same subject; even when we had different opinions, we could still see new points from each other's views.

Like everyone else, I was also in deep grief after hearing your sudden pass away. But rather than say you leave us forever, I would say you only went to that peaceful place before all of us. I believe you will start the new journey there with passion and love as you always do. Hoping that one day when we meet again, we can still share cool things in our life as we used to be.

Will miss you always.




Hi Jiahui, 

I just graduated from UW and you were someone I was hoping to keep in touch with for a long time. I would come to your advising office every quarter to touch base regarding linguistics, and you would every time somehow remember exactly which language I was toying with learning and entertain every one of my crazy ideas. It started out with us laughing together because I accidentally thought German was not an Indo-European language and was starting my second quarter in the class, to then thinking about learning ASL, Vietnamese, or even Burmese. And even when I left for 6 months, I showed up at your door in January and you picked up right there, "So last time we talked, you were toying with Burmese or maybe ASL or something right?" Your kindness always captured my heart, and even when I had figured everything out I would come to your office just to see what's up, touch base, and you were one of my favorite faculty on campus. Even during our online quarter, I remember I did *not* know what was happening in Syntax I, and when you took over the class everything started making so much more sense. I can only hope that you left doing something you loved because I will always think about you in that way - inspiring other students to be more curious, to be more knowledgeable and to really commit to learning more. Will think of you always, in my language journey and beyond. 

Love,
Kritika 

Dear family and friends of Jiahui,

We write to send condolences from the Middlebury Language Schools to the family, colleagues, and friends of Jiahui Huang of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Washington.  Mr. Huang was scheduled to join the faculty of the Middlebury Chinese School in just a few days when we learned of his tragic and untimely death.  Albeit a short while, Director Cecilia Chang and the faculty and staff of the Chinese School have developed a strong camaraderie with Jiahui in various orientation activities and are deeply saddened, as are all of us in the Language Schools community. 

Please accept our deepest sympathies for your loss.


Sincerely,

Cecilia Chang, Director of the Chinese School
Steve Snyder, Dean of the Middlebury Language Schools



The loss of Jiahui is heart-breaking. Jiahui was my student in two classes. Reading through his last presentation in my class in spring 2020, I remembered him very fondly and with great respect. He was poised to become a wonderful scholar and academic colleague. He was already so helpful to other people in the class (which was on becoming a professional academic) who were less far along on their paths. That he should be taken from the world just as he was about to embark on his career, is unspeakable.

One thing that is giving me some comfort is remembering what my spouse, who also loves the mountains and has climbed Mt. Rainier, has often told me-- that if he had to die, he would much rather it be at the bottom of a crevasse on that mountain than any other way. Jiahui must have been happy on that beautiful mountain, with his hiking buddy, at one instant, and gone the next. 

亲爱的嘉辉贤侄，愿天国没有痛苦和灾难，
愿你在那边一切安好。我们永远怀念你。

                                                                 姑姐   黄少芬
                                                                 姑丈   陈定戈 

We have never expected the sudden accident on Jiahui, our beloved nephew, nor the tremendous grief and sorrow come along. He set off for a long and distanced excursion on academics from his home. He perseveres and when he just starts to harvest, he returns to another world too early. May he rest in peace in heaven. Hope the loving parents be able to digest the sorrow and pain and take care of themselves.

弟德强夫妇：
  惊悉侄儿嘉辉不幸离世，我们十分悲痛难过。他远涉大洋彼岸求学，潜心钻研学问，学有所成。可惜天妒英才，壮志未酬。惟愿他一路走好，天堂安息！
  望你俩节哀顺变，照顾好自己，保重！
   姐夫：马剑鸿
   家姐：黄惠芬

弟德强夫妇：
  惊悉侄儿嘉辉不幸离世，顿感悲恸。嘉辉生前勤奋好学，知书识礼，才华横溢。他的离去令家庭失去一个好儿子，社会失去一个栋樑之材。他的音容笑貌永留我心中。尽管万般不舍，奈何斯人已去。愿他一路走好，天堂安息！
  万望你俩坚强起来，相互扶持，节哀顺变！多多保重！
    大嫂：张丽文

I am gravely shocked and heartbroken when being told my nephew Jiahui’s pass away. He is diligent and dedicated to linguistics. He is intellectual and exceptionally well mannered. The family loses a wonderful son, the community loses a valuable talent. His voice and smile will be remembered forever. Though reluctant but irreversible, may Jiahui rest in peace in heaven. Hope the loving parents be resilient and be able to go through this by supporting each other. Take care and for the best!

(photo taken with Jiahui in Guangzhou, 2019)

Jiahui was such a gentle soul, and he touched everyone's heart. He was not just a quiet person. He is a good mixer, had a great sense of balance when it comes to human relationships. I learned a lot about so many things from him. He was a great student, great TA, and great fellow linguist. He made this world a better place because of his presence. It is such a pity that he is no longer with us. May his soul rest in peace.

Jiahui was the undergrad advisor when I was studying in UW. Thank you very much for helping me from getting in the major to graduation.

For many recent undergraduates at UW, Jiahui was the first person you’d meet, walking into the linguistics advising office in Guggenheim for the first time. Whenever I walked into the office to ask him questions, or email him for an add code for a class that would later catapult my love for linguistics, Jiahui was always so kind and helpful. In winter 2021, I was lucky enough to have Jiahui as my instructor for Syntax I. Every Monday and Wednesday at 8:30 am (on Zoom), Jiahui brought energy and light to the virtual classroom on the screen. He encouraged collaboration and curiosity – he made syntax fun to learn. Jiahui’s office hours were often bustling with people –– his care for his students and our learning ran deep and was evident in his teaching and advising alike. Whenever I met one-on-one with him for a final project for syntax, an hour would pass by and I wouldn’t even know it, because he was willing to give so much time and his knowledge, no matter how long it took. If I were ever to become a TA someday, I would hope to have the same enthusiasm, passion, care, and diligence for the subject and students as Jiahui did with linguistics students at UW.  

Jiahui was a wonderful student and a delightful human being. He took four of my courses and was a warm and inquisitive presence in class. I always enjoyed speaking with him about his work and about topics that came up in class. He was enthusiastic and interested in just about everything, whether or not it closely related to his research.

I will miss him and remember him fondly.

Jiahui, the most brilliant, young and promising member in our family, his pass-away is an immense loss to us. In the last few years, whenever I needed help with my English, Jiahui was there. Now without him, I find it hard to express the grief in words. 

When we were younger, Jiahui was much shyer and quieter. Things changed after he went to college. When I met him in 2016, he impressed me with the confidence and passion in his academics and life which were not seen before. He must have met amazing friends, colleagues and mentors there in Seattle.  Unexpectedly and sadly, that was our last gathering in person. Though this tragedy is unfortunate, Jiahui had a great time on his last few years' journey. His life is snapshotted gorgeously at this moment and will be with us forever in our hearts. 

May his soul rest in peace in the Lord’s loving arms.

(attached a family photo taken 2006)


Introduced by Mingfei, Jiahui was a good friend from the same hometown - Guangzhou, China. 

We had many great time hanging out together, chatting about Cantonese culture and  linguistics, eating out in the U District and having boba tea. We had talked way too loud in the restaurant during our discussion that they almost kicked us out. 

The picture attached below was taken in my old apartment near UW where three of us hanged out and made our dinner, Mingfei made spaghetti and Cantonese vegetables. 

This is devastating to me when I first heard about the accident from Mingfei during a workday. We're all experiencing this great loss. If ever you need to talk, know that I'm always available.

RIP Jiahui! 

With Jiahui’s passing, we have lost a shining light from our Linguistics Department. His enthusiasm, friendship and concern were evident in his perpetual smile and the warmth that emanated from his office for every passer-by. His intellectual contributions and presentations locally and beyond were always insightful and well-reasoned. He enriched our community through research, teaching, advising and collegiality. His untimely death was a devastating blow and a terrible loss for all. I convey my deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Jiahui was the TA for the Intro to Linguistics class that I took during my first quarter at UW, almost four years ago. We kept in touch and regularly talked about the new books we were reading, as well as my Chinese classes, which he always encouraged me to continue. I also met with Jiahui many times for Linguistics advising, and his guidance  had a great impact on my academic journey. Jiahui was such a bright and kind-hearted person, and I always left our conversations with a big smile on my face. He was a brilliant scholar, teacher, and friend. I am so grateful to have known him. 

I met Jiahui when I was planning to major in linguistics at the University of Washington. At the time he was the advisor and he ended up being integral in my academic path. Though I decided to study a different subject, Jiahui and I remained friends and stayed in contact regularly. We often would chat about travel and research and he introduced me to Cantonese food. I am inspired by his passion and drive and excitement. I’ll miss you Jiahui. 

OBITUARY

Jiahui Huang

November 9, 1991 – June 16, 2021

Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home & Cemetery

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