Richard was born in San Francisco at Mt. Zion Hospital on February 17, 1967, the only child to Chyi Kang and Nancy Lu and the eldest grandchild on both sides. Growing up in Berkeley, Richard collected comic books, played soccer, and spent many cherished moments with his first cat, Plunky. After attending Head Royce for one year, Richard graduated from Gunn High School in Palo Alto. Richard then went on to study Environmental Science at UC Berkeley, graduating with a bachelor’s of science. While participating in the Transportation/DCRP program, he met one of his best friends, Celia, who also majored in Environmental Science and went to work for Alameda CMA and then Valley Transport Authority. Richard continued his graduate studies in civil engineering at UC Berkeley in pursuit of a master’s degree. During one of the summers, Richard participated in a Chinese cultural exchange program and spent several weeks in Taiwan, and it was on this trip that he befriended for life, Darren, who unfortunately passed away the summer of 2016.
Richard’s interest in and love of cars and trains led him to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), which became more than a career – it was a life-long passion. Starting out as a transportation planner, Richard mastered the institutional knowledge and politics of the agency and worked on high-profiled projects, garnering the respect and friendship of his colleagues. For more than 20 years, Richard dedicated much of his time and energy into the expansion of the system into Fremont, where he lived since 2003. It was the shared interest and passion for transportation that Richard bonded with a few of his dearest friends, including Celia and Cherry, who worked at AC Transit and also a DCRP alumna. The good three friends would regularly get together for lunch at their favorite hangout, a Korean BBQ in San Leandro. They also participated in the annual nonprofit trivia contest fundraiser, where Richard excelled at baseball and 1980’s music questions.
In 2005, Richard and his former wife, Linda, welcomed their only child, Grace. Though Grace has lived most of her young life in southern California, Richard was the most devoted father, traveling twice a month from the Bay Area to spend weekends with her. Together they attended Saturday Chinese School, cheered her on at her basketball games, and spent much of their time at the library reading many of Richard’s favorite childhood books. During summer and winter breaks, Grace would join Richard and spend weeks at Grandma Nancy’s house, along with their cat, Momo. Often they would vacation at South Lake Tahoe, go root for their favorite teams at NBA and MLB games, and otherwise explore the best local attractions in the Bay Area. Most recently, in 2015, they joined the rest of the extended Lu family from all over the country and world on an Alaskan cruise and went zip-lining.
Among the extracurricular activities Richard took part in was running, which he was passionate about, sometimes a little too obsessively, because it challenged him to be better than himself. He always participated in the annual Bay to Breakers and ran his first marathon at age 40, vowing then that he would someday do better than the two older women who passed him at mile 20. Another passion he held steadfastly on to was his sports teams and fantasy leagues. That knowledge of and passion for the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants has been shared with and handed down to Grace and will forever be a part of her father that she’ll carry with her.
To those who knew him, Richard was a devoted son, a loyal friend, an employee with unquestionable work ethic, and a loving father. To those who really knew him, Richard was much more than that. He was astute, sensitive, introspective, creative, complicated, traditional yet progressive. He was shy but stood up for his principles. He was stubborn but relented when faced with unconditional love. He had a wry and quirky sense of humor that only a few could appreciate. To really know him is to be in awe of him, to miss him, and to long to be in his company again.
Richard passed away on December 1, 2016, in Stanford, CA, fighting a brave battle against lymphoma and chemotherapy-induced lung failure. He is survived by his mother, his daughter, his girlfriend Sara, Momo, and many friends and extended family who loved him. Services were held at Redwood Chapel and he is laid to rest at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, California.
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