Foster C. Shieh's Obituary
Foster Fucheng Shieh was blessed with a life which lasted for over one hundred years. During this wonderfully long period of time, he achieved the love of a large family and the respect of a world-wide community.Vision, hard work, honesty, philanthropy and strong moral principles characterized this caring husband, the father of six children and the grandfather of thirteen.The Beginning of Foster Fucheng Shieh’s LifeHe was born on the morning of November 28, 1916, in Meixian 梅縣; now the city of Meizhou in Guangdong, China. He was the third son of Gee-Sian Shieh 謝繼祥 and Jou Chung Shieh 謝鍾玖; and the 19th generation of the Shieh family.Foster Fucheng Shieh’s EducationAs a child, he had the vision that if he wished to earn respect and make a place in the world, he needed to get a good education. With his mother’s encouragement and support, he studied hard and earned full scholarships for all his school and university studies.In 1942 he received a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Canton Normal University; now South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.In 1944 he received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the Central School of Governance in Chungking, China; now the National Chengchi University in Taiwan.He also attended the University of Wisconsin from 1959 to 1960, taking post-graduate courses in Education at the Graduate School.Foster Fucheng Shieh’s Career AchievementsHe began his career as a university lecturer at the Eastern Language Institute; now Peking University School of Foreign Languages in Chungking, China.After moving to Taiwan in 1946, he became a teacher and Dean of Discipline at the Taipei First Girls High School.As an educational administrator, he served as Provincial Supervisor for the Education Department and then as Chief Education Inspector for the National Ministry of Education. During that time, he was also a member of the Overseas Community Affairs Council for the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China.In 1962 he became the principal of Jesselton High School; later Kota Kinabalu High School in Sabah, Malaysia. Under his leadership from 1963 to 1970, KKHS achieved national recognition as the finest secondary institution in the state. One of his innovations was the requirement that each KKHS graduating student take the Cambridge School Certification Examination, which is recognized as a qualification for university entrance around the world. As a result, KKHS students were able to attend colleges and universities all over the globe. Years later, many still gratefully remembered that they owed their success in life to Principal Shieh.He moved his family to San Francisco in 1970, where he became a real estate broker and established his own thriving firm, Jade Realty.Foster Fucheng Shieh’s Community ServiceIn San Francisco, he served as Chairman of both the Ka Yin Hakka Benevolent Association and the Shieh Family Benevolent Association.He was also the Vice Chairman of the Fourth World Hakka Conference.He served as the Chairman of the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce and the Director General of the Headquarters of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the United States.He was a member of the School Board of the Chinatown Chinese Middle School. He was also Chairman of the University of Guangdong Alumni Association of the West Coast of the United States.In recognition of his many acts of community service, he was appointed to be the Honorary Mayor of San Francisco’s Chinatown for a two-year period during the early 1990’s.He always remained loyal to this old hometown of Meizhou and responsive to its needs. He donated furniture and supplies to the local primary school and funded a new wing for the school building in 1997. He also donated funds to establish the Meizhou Overseas Chinese Museum. He personally collected seven cases of artifacts to create exhibits honoring those who had also left Meizhou and traveled overseas to seek their fortune.Foster Fucheng Shieh’s FamilyWhile employed as a university lecturer in Chungking, he met Helen Ta-Chuen Wang, the daughter of Lieutenant General Wang Yi-Fei. They were married on June 23, 1946 and lived together for 62 years. During those years, they prospered and raised a family of six children, who then blessed them with thirteen grandchildren.As a husband, he was supportive of his wife and moved the family to the United States to honor her wish.As a father, he supported his children generously in any scholastic endeavor and ensured that they all completed an education to the tertiary level and beyond.As a grandfather, he loved his grandsons and granddaughters dearly. He was very proud of their many educational achievements and their professional accomplishments.He was very supportive of his relatives in China and supported them generously and wholeheartedly.The Closing of Foster Fucheng Shieh’s LifeOn November 25, 2016 came the great day that everyone had been eagerly anticipating— his 100th birthday party! Relatives and friends gathered to celebrate with him at a birthday banquet. Prominent public figures, from the Mayor of Fremont to President Barack Obama, sent messages of congratulations. Former KKHS students traveled long distances to attend, as well. As one of his students explained, “He was the one who inspired and advised me. He was the reason for my success in life.”He passed away from this life on May 7, 2017, at the age of one hundred years and six months. All six of his children were there by his side and all of his grandchildren were able to give him their personal messages of love.Despite his illness, he remained alert and aware until the last moment of his life. His desire to live was strong, but his body was failing him after so many years. It finally became time to let him leave this earth and journey on.He came from simple beginnings, but through effort and intelligence he achieved success in the fields of education, real estate and community service.At each stage of his life and in every field of endeavor, his actions and intentions were distinguished by the highest degree of personal integrity. Vision, hard work, honesty, philanthropy and strong moral principles were traits which he had learned in his childhood, practiced throughout his life, and wished to pass on to the future generations of his family.
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