Wang Wen

On July 25, 2024, our dearly beloved husband, father, grandfather, Wang Wen, forever left us at the age of 91. He was a fighter and remains a fighter in our hearts and minds.

“Wang”– a self-chosen name– means “hope” in Chinese, and his story is one nominally guided by ambition and aspiration amongst all hardship and challenges. He was born in Shanghai, China, in October 1932. In his early years, he worked in water resource management of the Huai River. He then studied and taught at Tongji University. During his time at the university, he met his wife, Can Xu, and they married in 1962.

However, in 1964, Wang began on a long and arduous journey beyond his control that separated him from his family. He was assigned to work on engineering projects in Inner Mongolia and later in Sichuan. To be closer with his family, he requested a transfer and moved to Hefei. After many efforts and more than a decade of moving from post to post, he was finally granted an opportunity to return home: to Tongji University in Shanghai, where he established a new department in Urban Gas Engineering and served as the President of the Shanghai Bioenergy Association. At Tongji University, in addition to his teaching and research responsibilities as the Head of the new department, he also focused on his own scientific research and obtained a patent for waste gasification treatment. He was also listed in the book, Who’s Who in China. But most importantly, he was able to reunite with his wife and two daughters in Shanghai.

In 1981, Wang traveled to the United States as a visiting scholar at North Carolina State University in Raleigh for a year before returning to China. With glowing impressions from his first time in the country, he moved with his wife to the United States after retiring in 1996 to be with his family who moved to New York and then New Jersey. Shortly after arriving, he passed an exam and received an opportunity to work in upstate New York, but he gave up the job offer to take care of his family, especially to help raise his grandchildren. He later worked part-time at Touro University– then Touro College– in New York for 10 years until he retired at the age of 80.

Wang was always meticulous, resilient, determined, and always striving for excellence. He was not only full of love and patient guidance for his children and grandchildren but also cared deeply for his family and friends. He constantly encouraged and urged the younger generations to study diligently, pursue lifelong learning, and be self-reliant and persevering.

In recent years, as he aged, his mobility declined and was bedridden for nearly two years. Despite his condition, he fought tenaciously against his ailments, actively cooperating with doctors and never giving up. According to his wishes, the funeral will be kept simple with his family who accompanied him during his illness and at his passing. He is survived by his wife, Can; his daughters, Jie and Liang, along with their husbands, Chunwei and Dong; and his grandchildren, Kevin and Karen.

Dear husband, father, and grandfather: rest in peace and have a safe journey. You will live forever in our hearts!

我们亲爱的父亲1932年10月出生于中国上海，早年前曾参加中国淮河水利治理，然后在同济大学学习并任教。在校期间认识，并于1962年和我母亲结婚。1964年被配派往包头和四川等地参加二机部工程建设。为了家庭团聚，要求离开，周转于合肥。通过种种努力，经过十年多在外漂泊，终于回到上海同济大学，组建新的专业城市燃气工程专业，并兼任上海生物能协会会长。在同济期间，我父亲除了担任教研室主任教学工作之外，还专心科研工作并获得垃圾气化处理专利。1981年我父亲作为访问学者在美国北卡州立大学生活了一年，之后回国。1996年我父亲退休后，再一次回到美国和我们团聚，之后几年都在纽约和新泽西生活。来美国不久，他曾通过考试获得机会在美国工作，但是为了照顾家庭，他放弃工作，之后曾在纽约杜鲁大学part-time工作了十年，直到八十岁才退休。我父亲的名字曾载入华人名人录《Who’s Who》中。

我父亲对任何事情都是认认真真，精益求精，永不放弃，顽强不屈，意志坚定！他不仅对自己的子女和孙辈充满爱心，耐心辅导他们学习，而且他对自己家族亲友也充满关爱。他一直鼓励督促晚辈认真学习，学无止境，自强自立，自强不息。在学生眼里，他是个温文儒雅，诲人不倦的好先生。

近几年父亲年事已高，行动不便，卧床一年又余，在病塌上他顽强和病魔斗争，积极配合医生治疗，从不放弃。 我们亲爱的父亲因病经多方医治无效，于2024年7月25日6时58分与世长辞，享年91岁。遵老人意愿丧事从简，家人在他患病医治和临终时均陪伴在旁。

亲爱的父亲，您放心走吧，一路走好，您永远活在我们心中！

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