Ming Fang Chang

Ming was born on November 22, 1933. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan, and his Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. Later he moved to the United States in 1964 and received another Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN. Ming was a registered Professional Engineer, specializing in the design of infrastructures. He was employed by Michael Baker Consulting Engineers as a Structural Engineer since 1965 and continued working as a Technical Manager through mid to late 2014.

Ming’s engineering career spanned over 50 years where he was involved in many prominent projects such as the Alaskan Pipeline project from the Yukon River to Prudhoe Bay. He also participated in the design of numerous port, harbor and low head dam projects for Jackson County Port Authority. During his career with Michael Baker, he designed over 50 state and interstate bridges and railroad bridges. Ming proudly accepted challenges and worked on complex structures such as the HWY 463/I-55 interchange known as the Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) horizontally curved steel bridge, the first unique bridge ever built in the state of Mississippi. Ming also used his architectural talents to design houses for himself, his family members, and friends.

Ming is survived by his wife, Suh-Yu Chang of 53 years. They have been members of Briarwood Drive Baptist Church since August 1974. Ming and Suh enjoyed overseas adventure travels and visited over 45 foreign countries. One of Ming’s favorite pastimes included listening to classical music, which he was very fond of. Ming had a great appreciation for the arts. Both Ming and Suh were regular attendees of many opera performances and held season tickets to the Mississippi Opera for several decades.

Ming is additionally survived by his children; his daughter Celeste Chang Roberts, her husband Gene Roberts, and their son Jack; and his son Eric Chang, his wife Dana Tottenham and their sons, Lyndon and Adlai.

Visitation will be January 16, 2015 from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM at Parkway Funeral Home in Ridgeland, MS. Visitation will also be held on January 17, 2015 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM at Briarwood Drive Baptist Church in Jackson, MS, with a Celebration of Life Service at 11:00 AM and a reception immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Briarwood Drive Baptist Church.