Wendy Hua Chu

Wendy was born on February 8, 1931, to Su Ju Hua and Hsiang Hua Chang in Anhui, China. She attended and was baptized at Huiwen Girls’ Middle School in Nanjing China, an institution founded by an American Methodist Missionary. She then attended Nanjing No. 2 Girls’ High School. As a junior in high school, Wendy tested into the Women’s Youth Working Corps, a group of 96 girls in their teens selected and sent by General Sun Li-ren to Taiwan to be trained in and to perform a variety of functions for the Taiwanese army.

Wendy later studied journalism at Fu Hsing Kang College, National Defense University in Taiwan. After graduation, she went to work as a journalist at the China Youth News Agency, and it was there that she met and fell in love with her colleague, Charles Yi-Ping Chu. In 1958, she successfully completed Women’s Army Officer Corps training at Fort McLellan in Alabama. Afterwards, she boldly crisscrossed the U.S. by bus as a single woman tourist before sailing from San Francisco back to Taiwan.

Wendy married Charles Yi Ping Chu on November 9, 1959 in Taipei, Taiwan. They had two children, Sharon and Charles.

Wendy and Charles both worked at the China Post from about 1959 to 1966. In 1966, Wendy founded the first fashion magazine in Taiwan and later established a designer fashion house as well. As part of those activities, she held weekly fashion shows at the Central Hotel in Taiwan and sponsored beauty pageants. In 1969, Wendy accompanied Charles to Hawai’i to participate in a trade show, the success of which led them to immigrate to the United States.

Wendy and Charles overcame all of the challenges of starting over in the United States to become successful restaurant owners. They founded and owned four Chinese restaurants: Bamboo Garden Restaurant in Hagerstown (1976 to 1986), Bamboo Garden Restaurant in Frederick (1978 to 1992), Imperial Restaurant in Glen Burnie (1986 to 1988), and House of Chu (1986 to 2001).

After the passing of her husband and her subsequent retirement, Wendy traveled the world with her daughter, Sharon, returned to her roots as an author, writing and publishing two books, and became the most devoted and loving grandmother to her grandchildren, Stephen, Guangping, and Mia. Wendy was an avid cook, loved to play Mahjong and play the slots. She was eternally optimistic, generous and kind to everyone around her, and deeply and eternally loved by her family, friends, and former employees.

Wendy was predeceased by her parents, and her husband. She is survived by her two children, Sharon and Charles, and her three grandchildren, Stephen, Guangping, and Mia.