Margaret Yang Soong

Margaret, Yang Kuo Chen, was born in 1925 to an upper middle-class family from the Hunan province in China. She was the second oldest of six children of a loving family. When Japan invaded China in 1937, Margaret’s life changed as she was sent away to Changsha for high school. She did not see her family for 3 years as there was severe famine, shortages and travel restrictions.

On a lark because her friends were doing it, Margaret took a college entrance exam and passed the first time. Out of her class, she was the only woman to get into University in Chungking, where she studied economics. She met a transfer student, Paul Soong, and they later married in 1947. Margaret and Paul had a great love and partnership that spanned sixty years. They did everything together.

Through Paul’s career with the Nationalist Chinese diplomatic service, they had postings in Bangkok, Taipei, San Francisco and Chicago. They also helped and sponsored many family members to move to the United States. They had two children-James and Judy, five grandchildren-Niki, Erin, Kristin, Jennifer, Katie and eight great grandchildren-Thomas, Mathew, Remi, West, Winter, Max, Gus and Sloan.

Margaret was smart, inquisitive, kind, dedicated to her family, kept up on world news and the stock market and loved being with people. She did things her way and with love.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sanfranciscocolumbarium.com for the Soong family.