Donna Q. Chen

Birth date: Apr 18, 1968 Death date: Apr 25, 2015

Donna Qing Hong Chen, 46, of Fremont, CA, passed away at 12:25am, Saturday, April 25, 2015 at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto California. She was born April 18, 1968 in China to Gordon Jin Guang Chen and Jenny Bi Jiao Chen-Yang. Sh Read Obituary

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Allen Mock

544w ago

Donna was a great neighbor. She was very kind and had a flair for life. Donna could always bring a smile to my face and make my day happier. I enjoyed our little talks and will miss her much. My oddest memory of Donna was when she once asked to borrow my chain saw and then proceeded to cut down some large branches so they could fit into the green recycle bin. She was amazing. Thank you Donna. Plus, it is always a pleasure to meet and talk to your parents and sisters. You have a wonderful family. Allen M.

Grace Henry

545w ago

I send my condolences to Donna’s love ones. I will miss Donna, as I am sure so many who had the privilege of working with her or otherwise being touched by her will. She was dedicated and intelligent as is evidenced by her rise through the ranks to her most recent appointment. Donna and I spent many weekends and evenings working after the close of business on cases. After my retirement we remained in touch. She disclosed to me that she had been diagnosed with the terrible C-word. We discussed my experience and the fact I am nearing 20 years C-word free. We had spoken not long before I was notified of her passing and had planned to meet. Her legacy will remain strong because of her forthrightness in carrying out her charge. Donna?s spirit is no doubt strong in her son as she spoke of him proudly and of his accomplishments. Medicine is not an exact science and it is with hope that I donate recurrently to the Cancer Research Institute praying for a cure for the dreaded disease. Grace Henry

Henry Huerta

545w ago

I am saddened by the news of Donna?s passing. I remember the first day I meet her as I interviewed her for an office assistant position in DLSE San Francisco office. She was fresh out of College with a Bachelors Degree from San Francisco State and was eager to get to obtain a position with the State of California. She impressed with me with her hard work and never-ending desire to make things better in the workplace. I was impressed with her ability to learn office procedures and to make recommendations on improvements. I was not surprised by her promotions. When we talked our discussion would always end with sharing stories about our families. She was an example of a hard working mother that was able to balance all of her responsibilities. Martha and I will miss her. Thank you for being our friend. Henry and Martha Huerta

Sarah Stearman

545w ago

I have known Donna’s son Kevin and her husband Carl for a few years because of chess. My son and Kevin are chess friends. Although I don’t think I was formally introduced to Donna, I have seen her at chess tournaments with Kevin and could tell how much she loved and cared for him. From what I have read and heard about Donna, I regret not having met and known her better. Carl told me Donna became a Christian last year. While her passing is a great loss to many, Donna is enjoying God’s love, rest, and peace in His presence now, and she will continue to be an encouragement to us. with Carl’s permission, I set up a gofundme campaign to remember Donna. Please help spread the word to show support for Donna’s family. Feel free to share the following link on FaceBook, Twitter, email, or any other media. You may be surprised to see generous strangers making donations just because they care. You are generous in many ways, and no gift is too small! http://www.gofundme.com/rememberdonnachen

Diana Chen

545w ago

Donna, although she was in the North, and I am in the South, we came to know each other many years ago. It started because of our email addresses. If you think about it, we both have the same initials, DC. Donna would call me, and I would call her, saying “I have this email that should be for you”. Although we talked and forwarded emails that were misdeliverd we didn’t really get to meet until one day when work required me to fly up North. I was so excited because I was finally able to see how the other DC looked. We immediately clicked when she asked me if I had any sisters, I said “No”, so she said, “OK, I’ll be your sister, but I will be your elder sister”. I never asked Donna why – I went along with it because it felt…natural. Over the years, we engaged in many phone conversations, webinars, and of course, emails, that I realized Donna was so devoted to her work. I could call her after hours and even on weekends to discuss complex audit issues and she would never tell me to go away because she was busy. Donna was the best and she will be deeply missed. My deepest condolences to the family.

Sammy

545w ago

A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. Honore de Balzac

Derek Park

545w ago

Passing of Donna came as a shock to me. The last time I saw her, I thought she was recovering and on her way to a healthy life. She said she had to really watch what she ate, but she was so positive and alive. She gave off the impression that she got a second chance and she was going to take advantage of the opportunity to its fullest. Seeing Donna so positive made everyone around her appreciate life more. Donna and I were often on different pages. We had a common goal, but had different ideas and different interpretations. These differences and the distance from her office to my office prevented us from really getting to know one another. I still will not agree with all of her ideas and interpretations and I am sure she will not agree with all of mine, but I cannot disagree with the fact that she was great. From the limited interactions I had with Donna, I saw that Donna was dedicated, knowledgeable, caring, and persuasive, among many many other great qualities she possessed. Donna?s abilities and characteristics commended respect from even those who did not know her very well, including those who butted heads with her like myself. Achieving respect from those close to you is one thing, but achieving respect from those distant from you, socially and ideologically, is another. Donna was a great asset to DLSE and with all of the improvements she implemented, she will continue to be a great asset to DLSE. Donna was very proud of her internationally ranked chess prodigy son. She was modest, so she did not go around bragging about it, but she seemed like a five year old girl, who just got a pony for her birthday, trying to hold in her happiness, when she spoke about her son. She was so proud. And who wouldn?t be proud to have someone internationally ranked in anything. The happy look on Donna?s face when she talked about her son was enough to make everyone who saw her smile.

Sarah Stearman

545w ago

I just learned the link could be customized. Please use this one if you wish. Both links work. http://www.gofundme.com/rememberdonnachen

Sarah Stearman

545w ago

With the family’s permission, I have set up a gofundme campaign to remember Donna. I hope it was ok for me to quote Ms. Padres and Ms. Bradstreet. Please pass the link along to your family and friends via FaceBook, Twitter, email, or any other means. Thank you. http://www.gofundme.com/tua5w5w8

Scott Yoder

545w ago

3 Hallmarks: Service, Leadership and Fellowship. Service: everyone at the Labor Commissioner’s office anywhere in California who came in contact with Donna or her work felt the impact of her service as evidenced in the comments below. Leadership: Donna, by example, influenced others to attempt, usually unsuccessfully, to match her level of service to the Labor Commissioner and the workers of California. Fellowship: I met Donna at a training as a new senior. After 20 minutes of discussion I had a new friend I could call on anytime I needed advice or help, and I did. RIP Donna, you made a huge positive impact on so many that so few accomplish.

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