Wen-Yi Chung, P.E.

Wen-Yi Chung, age 88, of Sarasota, Florida, passed away unexpectedly on July 12, 2022. He was predeceased by his parents, wife Po-Ying Chang Chung (d. 1985), and brothers Wen-Chin Chung and Shun-Kuei Chung. He is survived by his brother Shuenn-Shion Chung of Ellenton and sister Shirley Chen of Orlando. He is the father of Luke Chung (granddaughters Maya and Nina) in Virginia, Filic Chung (grandchildren Franklin and Grace) and Lee-En Chung in Sarasota.

Born November 27, 1933, in a small farming village near Tainan, Taiwan that was under Japanese colonial rule, Wen-Yi grew up in a dirt floor home and plowed through rice paddies with a water buffalo to help support his family. His father Tiao-Chien Chung embraced the value of education and empowered Wen-Yi to become the first in his town to attend college. At National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, he studied Civil Engineering and met his future wife, Architect Po-Ying Chang. He served two years in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force before resuming his studies.

In 1960, he received a scholarship to attend graduate school at the University of Florida, where he received a Master's Degree in Structural Engineering during the Jim Crow era. Later, Wen-Yi moved to New York City, got married in 1963 and earned his PhD in Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics from Columbia University in 1968. After having three children, he moved to Philadelphia, PA to work for Bell Helicopters, researching composite materials for aerospace during the Vietnam War.

In 1973, he moved back to Florida by joining a civil engineering firm in Orlando. A beneficiary of the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, Wen-Yi became a US citizen and helped his four siblings immigrate to the US, so they could lead successful lives and raise their families. He relocated the family to Venice in 1976 to work for a land development firm, while his children attended Pine View School. Soon after, he founded an engineering and real estate development firm. He designed and constructed numerous homes and developed residential subdivisions, condominium complexes, shopping centers and warehouses across Sarasota and Manatee counties for more than 40 years, including Emerald Gardens, McIntosh Lake and Golden Bay condos in Sarasota and Gulf Coast Plaza, Regency Square and Golf Green condos in Venice.

In 1981, he moved to Siesta Key where he lived for forty-one years. As he spent less time in the office and more time at home, Wen enjoyed spending time overlooking the intercoastal watching the boats and growing a hearty garden of vegetables and fruits.

A gathering of family & friends for Wen-Yi Chung will be held Thursday, July 28, 2022 from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM at Robert Toale and Sons Funeral Home at Palms Memorial Park, 170 Honore Ave, Sarasota, FL 34232. A celebration of life service will start at 10:30 AM. Burial will take place privately at Palms Memorial Park.

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