On January 9th, 1949, Ming Der Wang was born into the world in a sleepy little village in Sandong, China. Little did anyone know, this little boy would have a lasting impact on everyone and everything that he came in contact with. It was post WWII, the landscape of China was forever changing due to the implications of the war and the newly established government. The family decided to get a new start on the small island of Taiwan. This was the start of something special as his life blossomed. Ming met his future wife, Lu Ching, while they were in Kindergarten, became the closest of friends, then became a true couple while in high school. Ming enlisted in the Taiwanese Marines right after high school and during this time, He and Lu Ching continued their relationship through his military career. While in the Marines, Ming developed a love and knack for cooking and creating meals for his superior officers and fellow soldiers....not knowing that this would lead to something greater than a hobby. Once he finished his service to his country, Ming finished his higher education and even taught mathematics at a university in Taiwan.
Ming and Lu were married in 1973, and had their first child, a boy given the name of Ping in 1975. Not long after, he made the decision to immigrate with his new family to the United States in 1977. He wanted to provide his family and himself with opportunities not available in Taiwan and simply wanted to chase "the American Dream." He made a promise that once here in the states, that only hard work, perseverance, true dedication and an unwavering belief in himself would be the only things he would need to succeed. He never believed in help from anyone or anything. He would often say that "This is an adoptive country to us, one that was gracious enough to allow us here to chase our dreams, who are we to ask for help when the decision was mine to move here...."
Washington DC was the first stop, then they settled in for a short stay in California to getting accustomed to their new country. After leaving the west coast, the family chose Nebraska as their final stop. Once settled into their new home of Omaha, Nebraska, Ming got a job as a chef at Chu's Chop Suey House. There, he perfected his skills and worked his way up to one of their head chefs. During this time, Ming and Lu welcomed their second child in to their family in 1980, a little girl named Anne. A few more years passed, Ming grew restless and wanted to try his hand at owning his very own restaurant. He felt he had learned enough to be a business owner himself, and wanted to take one step closer to that dream of success in America. Ming opened his first restaurant in Papillion, Ming's Garden, in the early 1980s. After a couple of years, Ming's first try at his own restaurant failed. Keeping true to his words, he spent the next couple of years learning the art of being a business owner, and making changes on the hard lessons learned. Never giving up on his dreams, Ming decided it was time to try again. In 1989, just down the street from his previous location, his new restaurant, Ming's Restaurant, opened. Ming's second attempt was an immediate success, and it continues to provide for his family till this very day 31 years later.
In the last few years, with the restaurant under the care of his adult children and the numerous wonderful employees, Ming and Lu traveled the world, enjoying a life that Ming envisioned so many years ago. Life was complete. Both Ping and Anne have their own families that also brought Ming and Lu seven grandchildren. Ming absolutely adored each and everyone of them, and would do anything for them. Their love for each other never once dulled. They were childhood friends, high school sweethearts and a loving couple until Ming's last breath....which Lu sealed with a final kiss at his bedside to conclude this true fairytale.
We want to take this opportunity to you sincerely thank each and everyone of you for all the support you have shown to us during this difficult time. There are no and will never be adequate words to express our heartfelt gratitude. He was taken from us too early, but we must move on. We will move on holding on to each and every lesson he has ever taught us, every single memory made and the love and care he showed us for everyday of his life. He has always reminded us to always give maximum effort in whatever we do, to always show humility, to always understand people before you pass judgment, to never give up, that respect must go both ways, to always lend a helping hand and most importantly, to live your life in a manner that people will remember you in a positive light. The entire family will carry on his teachings and will live our lives in a way that will make him proud of us. He will live on in each and everyone of us. Perhaps if we all take a little bit of his lessons and apply it to our own lives, we can make this world a little better place. A world that our Husband and Father had envisioned for his entire life.
As we gather here today, we will not be saying goodbye, but we will indeed say "till we see each other again."
With Love and Gratitude,
Lu, Ping & Surina, Anne & Dean
Haylee, Bennett, Makayla, Ayla, Aubree, Gavin, Jayden
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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