Adolph Widjaja Budianto

After a valiant year-long battle with Stage IV lung cancer, Adolph Widjaja Budianto (Tan Wie Djien) went home to be with Jesus on August 29, 2020, five days after his 81st birthday. He is survived by his wife of nearly 53 years, Maria, his four children, Stephani, Irene, Frank and Ivonne, his sons-in-law, Eddie and Jungseok, his daughter-in-law, Lisa, his six grandchildren, Andrew, Madelin, Kaitlin, Elise, Halle and, soon-to-be-born David Widjaja, his two sisters, Tan Liang Giok and Tan Liang Tien, his brothers and sisters-in law, and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his parents, Tan Tjioe Hong and Kho Giem Kiauw, his brothers, Tan Wie Hiong and Tan Wie Gie, and his sister, Tan Liang Swan.

Adolph was born in Magelang, Indonesia. After receiving his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Physics from Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB), he returned to his hometown to manage the family business. He married Maria on September 2, 1967 and raised four children. He was active in the community, serving as Elder at his church, Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI). He was also Chairman of Yayasan Perguruan Kristen Indonesia (YPKI), the board responsible for overseeing a Christian school system that serves the local community by providing Christ-centered education from Pre-K through high school. He was a regular fixture at the local tennis club, where he could be seen perfecting his one-handed backhand and spending time with his wife and their friends. He formed long lasting and close friendships throughout his lifetime, especially in his hometown, where practically everyone knew him.

After much prayer, on June 12, 1984, Adolph and Maria relocated their young family of six to Arcadia, California. He made the difficult sacrifice of leaving the comfort of what was familiar for the hope of a brighter future for his children, trusting in God’s faithfulness to help his family in a foreign land. His entrepreneurial mindset and business sense led him to start an export business that provided for his family comfortably, enabling him to meet his goals, which included supporting all four children through college.

Adolph loved to marvel at God’s amazing creation. As an avid traveler, Adolph enjoyed learning about diverse cultures as well as flora, fauna and natural landscapes of the world. He cherished the many memories from his trips throughout Europe, Asia, and North and Central America. Even at home, that appreciation was reflected in all that he did. He was known to watch animal, nature and historical documentaries, though he could not miss a good tennis match, Dodgers baseball game, or sumo tournament. He always enjoyed a good ABBA song, but his preference was for country gospel music. He used to blast Jim Reeves' worship songs as though a quieter volume could not adequately reflect his abundant love for the Lord. He could even strum his guitar to the tunes of Jim Reeves, Elvis and Johnny Cash. He loved fruit of all kinds, especially the tropical ones, which balanced his appetite for potato chips and fries. He enjoyed spoiling his grandchildren and treasured his time with them.

His quiet strength, quirky sense of humor, and big heart will be dearly missed by all who knew him. His strong faith had brought many closer to Christ. He rarely missed an opportunity to give glory to the almighty God, who made the heavens and the Earth and who gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to fully pay the penalty for our sins so that we can be His children.

A private celebration of Adolph’s life will be held Saturday, September 12, 2020 at Peek Funeral Home, 7801 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683. The service will begin at 8:00 am at Chapel Tent #5. For those attending, masks are required and please social-distance by household. Those who wish to express sympathy can consider making a tribute donation to the American Lung Association towards their vision of a world free of lung disease.

https://action.lung.org/site/Donation2?df_id=31272&mfc_pref=T&31272.donation=form1