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William Wu was born Wu Pin Lung in Calcutta, India, on March 13th, 1918. He was the second son of Chinese immigrants who worked as shoe makers in India. At that time, China was very poor, there was widespread famine and civil unrest; a lot of Chinese, especially those living close to the coastal areas, risked their lives and went overseas, they struggled and eventually built the various overseas Chinese communities.

His parents established themselves in Calcutta; however when William was about 12-years-old, which coincided with the reunification of China by the then Nationalist Government headed by Chiang Kai Shek, after reading about and inspired by the efforts of revolutionaries and idealists who overthrew the last Empire and whose ideals were to establish modern China, he prevailed upon his parents to let him return to China to pursue his dream of participating in reforming his mother country. So at the age of 12, he left India with his elder sister, boarded a ship that took them back to their ancestral county of Mei Xian in the Province of GuangDong to reunite with his Grandmother.

During the next few years, he immersed himself in the study of Chinese classics, since he did not have much opportunity of studying Chinese in India at the time. He was so well regarded by the village elders that, even when he was in his twenties, he was appointed Principal of the Elementary School in the SiYang area of Mei Xian. His dreams were interrupted by the Second World War, which started July 7th, 1937, in China, when Japan invaded China. To escape ravages of war, he walked for six months through mountains and forests, eating wild fruits and drinking from streams or even gutters, he managed to get to the rear areas of Chungking, the wartime Capital of China where he entered the Army Medical College, registering in the Pharmacy program. He was well versed in the languages, and even helped his Professors translate some of the texts from English to Chinese. He graduated from the program in 1944, towards the end of the war; he joined the Army Medical Corps as a Pharmacist, and as such an Officer of the Nationalist Chinese Army.

Good times did not last long after the conclusion of the Second World War. Civil War between the Nationalist Government and the Communists broke out, and since the Communists won, with the withdrawal of remnants of the Nationalist government had to fend for their own lives – William managed to get to the then British Colony of Hong Kong, and by virtue of his connection with India, which was part of the British Empire, he was able to establish his refuge and tried to start life over again.

With his background and training in Pharmacy, he worked from odd jobs to sales with the pharmaceutical industry. It was also in Hong Kong that he met his wife, Lizzy, who was working as a tutor at the time. They married in 1956, from then his life started to take a brighter turn...

His diligence and perseverance paid off when he passed the Exam for Registered Pharmacist in 1958; from then on with his professional qualification, he would have no problem landing a job. He worked at the Pharmaceuticals section of the multi-national Swire group in Hong Kong, then as a Registered Pharmacist at a retail Pharmacy until 1976 when he moved with his family to San Francisco to give his children better opportunity in getting higher education. With no regrets he gave up his seniority, job, and financial security, as well as his core group of friends and extended family, he ventured into the unknown in the United States.

Since he graduated in 1944, and a lot has changed since then, he realized it would be beyond reasonable expectation for him to write and pass the qualifying examination for Pharmacists in California, however that did not deter him from making that fateful decision which was motivated by his desire to seek better opportunity for his children.

Fate smiled at him, he obtained a real estate license in California, and again with his perseverance he was not only able to make ends meet, he managed to send his four children through medical school.

William loved traveling with Lizzy; he enjoyed listening to classical music and Chinese radio; he liked reading English and Chinese literature; and he loved reading about history, as does his son Anthony. He also loved to laugh.

William was blessed with excellent health, which in major part due to his wholesome attitudes to life; he was active until the age of about 92; he could and did indeed regularly walk up and down the hilly terrain of San Francisco and Hong Kong better than many half his age; he never let stress get to him, the family does not recall one time that he had trouble with insomnia; he was kind, especially to those less fortunate than he was, he never haggled prices with the store clerks, he felt that if they spent so much time, they deserved to make some money; he was the most tolerant person; principally due to his Chinese Classics education, he subscribed to Daoist philosophy of following nature, he believed that "as the planets circulate in their own orbits without colliding at each other, all things should coexist without harm to each other."

William and Lizzy were known as Grandpa and Grandma to their grandchildren. They loved all of their grandchildren. In fact, when William was at assisted living for the past three years and nine months, Belinda would visit with her children on Sundays and they'd have lunch together. He appreciated all of the visits from Belinda, Carson, Anthony, and Delia.

It was no surprise that William enjoyed a full, rewarding and wholesome life; even at the end, he beat the odds and survived a major brain hematoma operation at the age of 95, recovered and enjoyed seven months with his family, but as his own philosophy of following nature dictates, there is a time to let nature take its course, and as the sun sets, we can reminisce the good times he had.

In the end, William passed away peacefully. His family feels he is at peace as he's reunited with his wife, Lizzy, again.

William's purpose in life was to move to the states, help his children achieve a good education, and he fulfilled that purpose honorably.

As a father, William was very protective of his children. He made sure his children got to school safely and got home safely. He was a very adventurous man who liked to try new things and please people.

He will best be remembered as a soft-spoken, good, kind man who cared for his immediate family, his extended family of nieces and nephews, and he always tried to help everyone. He was also very generous. He helped his family financially and when he took his family to restaurants, he was an excellent and thoughtful tipper to the wait staff.

Even when William was ill, he taught his family to see joy where they can. His family will miss his powerful presence every day.

William would want everyone to be healthy and happy in life. He would want his grandchildren to get a good education. He would also want everyone to be like him, generous and kind.

He was preceded in death by his wife Lizzy and son-in-law David. He is loved and remembered by his children Anthony, Belinda, Carson, and Delia; seven grandchildren; one sister; extended family and close friends.







 




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