John Yang

John was born on March 20, 1940, in Miaoli, Taiwan, as one of eight children born to Ah Hsien Yang and Rong-Mei Yang. After completing his undergraduate degree at Tamking University in Taiwan, John continued his academic journey to Oxford, Mississippi in 1967, where he pursued his PhD in chemistry at Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi. Upon arriving in the United States, John started dating Wendy Cheng, whom he had known in college. John demonstrated remarkable devotion by regularly making the nearly 250-mile drive to Hattiesburg to visit her while Wendy pursued her master’s degree at the University of Southern Mississippi. They were later married in 1968. A few years later, they welcomed their first daughter Emeline. By 1971, John had earned a Ph.D in chemistry, prompting a family move to Tunica, Mississippi, where their second daughter, Justine, was born. John dedicated a majority of his professional life to chemistry and chemical engineering at W.R. Grace, and the family spent many years in Memphis, Tennessee. Sadly, Wendy passed away in January 1984, marking a difficult time for the family.

In 1986, John relocated with his daughters to Richardson, Texas. The following year, John married Leslie Cheng. After many productive years at Infratech, Inc., John and Leslie retired together in 2005, opening the door to extensive global travel and new adventures.

John’s curiosity and zest for life extended into active involvement with the Formosan Christian Church of Dallas, where he served on the Board of Directors and enthusiastically volunteered. He loved working with children and is remembered for teaching generations of youth how to, among other things, play ping pong. Family remained the heart of John’s life, with the Yang home becoming a site for lively gatherings, memorable meals such as seafood gumbo and barbeque, and a variety of other tasty dishes.

John’s hobbies were varied: spending time outdoors, fishing, watching nature documentaries, traveling, playing Sudoku, gardening, grilling and smoking meats, and spoiling his grandchildren. John is survived by his spouse Leslie; children Emeline Yang of Garland, TX and Justine (Richard) Bruce of Verona, WI; four grandchildren, Zachariah, Elias, William, and Lorelei; one brother, Chuck Yang of Memphis, TN and two sisters in Taiwan. John was preceded in death by his parents, his first spouse Wendy, two brothers and two sisters.

We love you, Ahgong!