Joseph Cheun-Chit Wu

93, San Diego, California

Joseph Wu passed away peacefully at his home in San Diego, California, on September 23, 2026, surrounded by the comfort of his family.

Born in Guangzhou, China, where Japanese air raids were a regular childhood occurrence, he was inspired to become an engineer when he found a box of electrical components under his father’s bed. Immigrating to the United States to study electrical engineering, he earned his degree at Purdue University—a place he credited for shaping his career and integration into American life. After working in high-fidelity audio engineering and earning his master's degree at night, Joseph followed his entrepreneurial spirit to launch his own business, Time and Frequency Technology, Inc. (TFT), in his garage in 1970. His pioneering work in broadcast technology led to TFT developing the emergency alert system adopted by the FCC, a life-saving contribution to public safety that he considered his proudest professional achievement.

Joseph will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife, Cathy Wu, as they intended.

He is survived by his four children, Emily, Debbie, Greg, and Kevin; his five grandchildren; and the extended family of his three siblings, Helen, Henry, and Josephine..

Services & Memorial

Celebration of Life: A broader memorial service celebrating Joseph’s life and legacy for family, friends, and former colleagues will be held in the Bay Area in early December 2026. Details regarding venue, date, and time will be shared once finalized.

May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.