胥直中 Jechung Simon Hsu

Jechung was preceded in death by his father Li-Hsun Hsu, mother Bin-Fang Hsiung and brother Jemin Hsu. He is survived by his five siblings, wife Jean, son Jason with family and daughter Joy with family.

Jechung was born in Ilan, Taiwan on October 7, 1951. Growing up, he was a free-spirit and excelled in high jump and basketball. He also played trumpet at school band and was quite proud of it. As a little boy, when confronted about his frequent fistfights, he’d matter-of-factly reply that he was just helping the bullied to combat the bully.

Having graduated from Chung Yuan University, he decided to study abroad and needed an English name. First thing that came to his mind was “The Saint,” a popular TV series in which the protagonist robs from the criminally rich and gives to the poor. Well, Simon Templar is the Saint. So, what better name to adopt? As such, “Jechung Simon Hsu” was registered to the world, and he couldn’t be happier.

After Simon got his MS degree from Arizona State University, we got married that winter. The wedding was surrounded by rows and rows of poinsettias. After a short honeymoon in the Grand Canyon, we packed all our stuff in a secondhand Plymouth and drove to Texas. Thanks to Simon’s sister Ophelia and her family, we got to settle down in Houston ever since.

Simon worked in the oil industry initially then became a NASA civil servant. In his long career at Johnson Space Center, he supported the International Space Station (ISS) Resource Management Office and the Chief Financial Office as an ISS Program CAM Integration Analyst. His ex-boss praised him as a no-nonsense person who cared about consistency and doing what was right. He even nicknamed Simon as their “Rapid Deployment Force” and considered him a blessing to work with. Simon’s last big accomplishment before retirement was developing a method for maintaining and updating a collection of ISS Resources Processes. The more than 2-year-long task was subsequently recognized with a JSC Center Director Team Commendation.

Though a man of few words, Simon was a great father. When our kids were young, he took them to all their extra-curricular activities: Tee-Ball, baseball, soccer, basketball, piano, violin, art, even dance, for which he was presented a “Best Dad” award. He thoroughly enjoyed getting involved every step of the way.

Simon was the most pure-minded person I have ever known. In his dictionary, you can’t find the word ‘gray’. It must be black or white, yes or no. And once he made up his mind, he never looked back. He’s also the most optimistic human being I ever encountered. All through our life together, I don’t recall seeing him worried sick or uncertain. And it’s these characteristics that inspired our family to stay calm and strong, time and time again, including while facing our common ordeal – his cancer. At all times, Simon simply gave his best and, naturally, remained happy and content.

A Funeral Service followed by a Reception will occur at The Settegast-Kopf Company at Sugar Creek, 15015 Southwest Fwy, Sugar Land, TX 77478 on July 8 (Sat), 2023 from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM.

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

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Joy's Speech

In preparing for today, I thought about some of my favorite memories with my dad from when I was growing up – like family vacations, karaoke parties, learning to swim, learning to ride a bike, learning to drive, learning to play basketball (he loved showing off Hakeem Olajuwon’s Dream Shake), road tripping to help me move from city to city – to more recently, like whitewater rafting at Victoria Falls, practicing the father-daughter dance for my wedding, grilling out with Rob, singing to Sloan and Shane. Reflecting on it all, my dad was happiest when he was spending time with all of us – his family and friends.

My dad was impressively frugal. He never spent money on himself. Instead, he would spend the whole day working on a project, maybe with a couple trips back and forth to Home Depot or Auto Zone. When he would inevitably fix it, which was even more remarkable in the days before the internet, he would proudly demonstrate to us how the new sink / toilet / replaced car part works. Then, most importantly, he would declare how much money he had saved by fixing it himself. Somehow there was never a price placed on the hundreds of hours in sweat equity.

Speaking of which, if you ever came to our house and it was a balmy 82 degrees – it wasn’t because the A/C didn’t work (my dad would’ve fixed it himself as you’ve just heard). It was to save money. He turned off lights in rooms we’d just vacated, changed his own oil, did his own yardwork.

But, because of these sacrifices, he and my mom could give to my brother and me generously – paying for sports, music lessons, dance classes – and after we’d left home, our education. They continue to gift us something for every birthday and major life event, extending the same generosity now to the next generation.

Beyond financial terms, my dad was also generous with his time. He shuttled us to those same sports, music lessons and dance classes with award-winning devotion. Yes, he literally won an award. I used to have ballet classes 3 times a week plus rehearsals on weekends for upcoming performances. My dad patiently waited in the lobby every time, and he even participated in a ballet class or two. The dance academy noticed his constant presence, which earned him the “Pas de Dad” award in 2000.

I could not recall a time my dad was ever upset with me… ever. I might have been a little spoiled. Possibly his only source of frustration with me was when he would urge me to take care of things quickly, and it was always only things that were in my best interest. And I always would, just on a different timeline.

For example, to remind me of Mother’s Day or my mom’s birthday, he would ask “Have you read my email?” that he’d sent about 3 minutes prior... “Not yet, Baba, but I will.”

Or “Have you updated your phone?” as soon as an update was available… “Not yet, Baba, but I will.”

“Have you booked your flights to come home?” sometimes half a year in advance, especially if a sale was on… “Not yet, Baba, but I will.”

“Have you filed your taxes?” this was every January… “Not yet, Baba, but I will.”

I think it would apply today as well if he were to ask, “Have you learned to take care of things quickly, without me?” only 6 weeks since he’s passed... “Not yet, Baba, but I will.”

He was a good man. He was a great dad. And we were very lucky to have him.

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Rob's Speech

Good morning

Thank you all for coming through in memory of Simon today.

The first time I met Joy’s parents was during a pitstop they made to visit Joy and myself on a vacation of South Africa in 2016. Joy had mentioned that her dad was quite protective, but that I had nothing to worry about. Nevertheless, with my limited knowledge of the stereotypes surrounding Asian fathers, I was still a little nervous. I was, however, very relieved to find out on finally meeting Simon that despite Joy being correct about his protective nature, he was, above all, an extremely warm and welcoming person.

Over the past 5 years that Joy and I have been living in the States, we’ve made the trip to Houston a number of times, and nearly every single time we’ve come to stay in Sugar Land, Simon had some form of household or garden task ready for me to take on. Even though at first I suspected he might just be exploiting some free labour, I realized after a while that these were always just a good excuse to spend time with my father-in-law who had always gone out of his way to make me feel a part of the family. I then realized later that I really was part of the family when he started telling me how I wasn’t doing it the way he wanted it done. Either way, I always really appreciated spending these times with him, and will miss the chance to help him doing what he loved, in taking care of his family.

I’ll miss the daily calls Baba would make to check in on the family, and I know our daughter Sloan already misses his nightly renditions of ‘Da Gong Ji’ and ‘Two Tigers’ that would end every call.

His calm, friendly, and resolute nature, as well as his undeniable love for his family will be greatly missed.

Rest in Peace, Baba.

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Jason's Speech

Hi, I’m Jason, Simon’s son. Before I begin, I’d like to speak for my family and thank everybody that came out today to celebrate the life of my dad. As I look around, I’m amazed by the amount of people that he’s touched, and the amount of people that love him.

During his speech at my wedding he called me his prince. Well, he was truly my king. My hero. My idol. Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be just like him. From the giant engineer, teardrop glasses, to the jean shorts and tube socks. I’ve even heard that we have a similar walk. As you all know, he was a pretty tall man, so I was always looking up to him, both literally and figuratively. And it wasn’t just the physical things that I emulated. I picked up his interests as well. Mainly, playing basketball, and watching our beloved Houston Rockets. Him being an engineer weighed heavily in my own decision to join the engineering ranks. I consider it the highest compliment if someone says I remind them of my dad.

My dad truly lived the American dream. He believed nothing was free, and that you had to work hard for everything you get. One of his favorite sayings was, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” He came to America as a graduate student with almost nothing in his bank account, and he and my mom worked hard to put themselves through school and rise up the ranks of their respective careers, all so they could provide a good life for their kids - Joy and me.

Like my mom said in the obituary, my dad had a strong sense of right and wrong. There was no “gray area”. To illustrate this, I’d like to share one of my dad’s favorite stories to tell, about a time when he was getting his Master’s degree from Arizona State, and working part time at a convenience store.

One night, my dad and an older gentleman were working at this convenience store, and a group of hooligans came in. A couple of them went up to the register to distract my dad and the other employee. And my dad noticed one of them going to the beer fridge and trying to sneak out with a case of beer. My dad immediately stopped the guy at the door, grabbed his wrist and said, “Hey! Did you pay for that?” The hooligans all looked at each other, and one of them said, “Watch out… this Chinese guy knows kung fu.” And they all ran away. Afterwards, the older employee told my dad, “Don’t do that next time. You may be a brave man, but I am not.” But that was my dad. No room for “gray area”.

My dad was a man of few words. He was a man of action. And while he seldom said he loved us, he showed his love through his actions. One of those actions was being involved with every aspect of our lives. From taking us to all the extracurricular activities: tee-ball, baseball, soccer, basketball, piano, violin, etc, to researching colleges with us, and helping us with the application paperwork. To be honest, I think my dad knew more about the application processes than I did. At times, his involvement could be just a little bit overbearing.

But I’ll never forget when he dropped me off at college. As we parted ways, he shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and said “Good luck.” Finally. He saw me as a man, and was going to step back, and let me live my own independent life.

The next day, still overwhelmed with all the newfound freedom and responsibility, I opened my email, to find an email from my dad that said, “Jason - these are all of the classes you should take…” Guess he wasn’t quite ready to let go just yet!

After college, both Joy and I settled down elsewhere. Whenever my dad visited, it would’ve been understandable if he was like, “Take me out, show me a good time, wine and dine me!” But instead, since his focus was always on the family, he would inevitably find some handyman project that would make our lives better, and that we could work on together to bond. Sometimes it was installing some window blinds, sometimes replacing the garbage disposal, sometimes renovating the garden. Sometimes even others would get caught up in it. For example, Joy and Rob on a visit to LA, when we assembled bunk beds together - piece by piece. Or when Rob and James got roped into putting together a basketball goal at my parents’ house. But those are stories for another time. The main point is, my dad showed his love by doing these projects with us. And in the process, my dad taught me how to be a handyman, like himself. Looking back, I cherish each and every one of those moments spent together.

Finally, I just want to say how appreciative I am to my dad for always making the effort to stay in touch with us, and be involved in our lives. I feel blessed that my dad called, and looked forward to talking to us every day. Sometimes, when I faced challenges, he would offer his sage advice. But most of the time, the conversations were the same. “How was your day?” “What did you eat?” I think asking us daily about our meals was his way of experiencing our lives with us from afar.

He really did show me by his example how to be a great man, and an amazing father. And these are lessons that I’m grateful for as I raise my own two kids. Thanks Ba Ba. I’ll do my best to pass your lessons on to the next generation. We will love and cherish you forever.