Rosalind Yuen Wai Cho

Rosalind Yuen Wai Cho née Wong was born in Shanghai to Samuel Sing Kong Wang and Irene Vong Mei Wang née Tong. Sister to Helen Shen and Frank Wang, both of whom preceded her in death, she was the youngest of the three siblings.

Born in the heydays of 1930’s Shanghai, Rosalind would sit on her father’s lap during Chinese Operas or follow her older brother through winding streets to visit the cinema on Saturday. Later on, her carefree days became more difficult. Life in Shanghai was first interrupted by the Sino-Japanese War, then by the Imperial Japanese forces occupying China and finally by the Chinese Civil War.

Targeted by the communist regime because they were educators, the family became refugees and escaped to Macao. There, Rosalind Wong Yuen Wai went to college and graduated at age 20. To help lessen the burden on her mother who had to take care of her invalid father, she left Macao soon after graduation to forge a new life in Kowloon, Hong Kong where she worked in an office.

At age 23, she married J.Y. Cho, a chemical engineer, also known as Cho Kin Hang (anglicized name). Two years later, she gave birth to her first daughter, Cindy Esther Sze-Tin Cho. Within the next year, the whole family had emigrated to Johore Bahru. Then at age 30, she gave birth to a second daughter, Sharon Ruth Cho. Five years later, the whole family once again moved, this time to Singapore.

Because she foresaw the difficulties of not having a US citizenship, she, with the help of her older sister, got green cards for her and her children when she was in her 40’s. Then Rosalind began a nomadic life, spending six months in Singapore and six months in Los Angeles in order to keep her green card. During this time, when in LA, she helped raise her grandson, Jonathan Lee. Over the years, after the death of her father, she started to spend more and more time in Los Angeles, because of her ailing mother.

Her mother died in 1988. In 1992, Rosalind moved down to Carlsbad to be closer to her older brother. She volunteered at church and spent time with her favorite cousin and other friends in the area. Later, she helped her sister in law with caring for her brother when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

After Cindy retired, she moved her mom back to the L.A area. Rosalind’s long life allowed her to see her three grandchildren grow to adulthood and both of the youngest grandchildren married.

Rosalind Yuen Wai Cho’s legacy endures through her two children, older daughter - Cindy Garcia and her family - Jesus Garcia (husband), Jonathan Lee (son), Samuel (son) and Katniss (daughter-in-law) Garcia, and Nova, formerly known as Sarah, (daughter) and Nathaniel (son-in-law) Segol, and younger daughter, Sharon Cho and her partner, Westina Zogorean.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to either the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter or to As You Sow where Sharon works. Please state that you are donating in honor of Rosalind Cho.

West Los Angeles Animal Shelter

https://www.laanimalservices.com/donate-today#no-back

As You Sow

https://www.asyousow.org/donate