Gong-jie Zhang

Gong-jie Zhang passed away peacefully on October 29th, 2013 at 9:53 PM at the age of 68. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Ning-tian Zhang; son Geng-hua Harry Zhang; daughter-in-law Min Zhang and daughter Jie Janet Zhang.

Gong-jie was born on April 10th, 1945 in Jing de zhen, China to Zhu-ru Zhang and Hong-mo Zhang. He grew up in Shanghai, China with brother Le-shen Zhang (Shanghai, China), and younger sisters, Yi-tian Zhang (Shanghai, China) and Yi-xin Zhang (Sydney, Australia). Growing up, he was both a scholar and an athlete. In junior high school, he was hand picked by the district swim coach to join the training team. His athleticism continued through high school and into college. When he was not swimming, he could be found working as a lifeguard at the pool, playing soccer or running track and field.

He attended Tongji University in Shanghai, China and studied Mechanical Engineering. Although Gong-jie and Ning-tian went to the same high school, they did not meet until college. After graduation, Gong-jie worked at Guang-xi Province Transportation Bureau in Guang-xi, China for 14 years. Ning-tian was also assigned to work there and they married in 1974 in Shanghai, China. In 1981, he came to the United States and began his Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Four months later, Ning-tian joined him in the States while their two children remained in China. Gong-jie received his Masters in Mechanical Engineering in 1984. The family was then reunited in 1987.

He lived and worked in Santa Barbara for 22 years and met many close friends during this time. Although, he moved to Moorpark, California in 2003, he had always dreamt of moving back to Santa Barbara some day. Sadly, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2009 and bravely fought the disease for four and half years. Gong-jie passed away at Kaiser Woodland Hills on the evening of October 29th after a day of being surrounded by the love and support of his family.

Gong-jie was a kind-hearted, selfless and loyal husband and father. He was the type of person to always place other’s needs above his own. He was willing to sacrifice for his family and never expect anything in return. To friends, he was generous and always willing to help. He will be forever loved and missed by his friends and family.

A memorial service will be held on November 10th at 2 PM at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks-Griffin Memorial Park to celebrate and remember his life.