Susan S. Shu's Obituary
Susan Liu was born in the city of Tainan, Taiwan. She was the youngest of 5 children born to Ming-zhe Liu (劉明哲) and Tsu-ping Wu (吳楚蘋). During her youth, Taiwan was under Japanese occupation. Growing up under Japanese colonial administration gave her a foundation in Japanese language and culture, and the numerous Japanese friends she made became an important influence on the rest of her life. By the time she reached adulthood she was already fluent in three languages: Japanese, Taiwanese and Mandarin Chinese, as well as a foundation in English. These language skills would serve her well throughout her life.When she accepted a marriage proposal from Frank Shu, she did so knowing that she would have to travel to join him in Chicago where he was studying for a Ph.D. To do so, she left her native Taiwan and crossed the whole length of the Pacific Ocean to establish a new life with him. The two were married in May of 1956, and in the ensuing years, she gave birth to two sons: Richard and Raymond.Susan was a wonderful homemaker. She took great pride in arranging her home in an elegant style. She managed the household budget and delighted in finding a good bargain, yet she was always generous with her closest friends and family members. She loved to entertain and cook, making her home a favorite hangout for homesick Taiwanese students.In 1968, Frank’s job brought the family to Japan. Since both he and Susan were fluent in Japanese and had lots of friends and relatives in Japan, they both flourished in Tokyo. During this time, Susan learned the art of Japanese flower arrangement known as Ikebana, the traditional tea ceremony, and other Japanese cultural arts. Many of the connections she made during this stay in Japan lasted her a lifetime.When the family returned to the US in 1972, Susan quickly began immersing herself in the local community. Before long, she was giving cooking lessons at the Darien Community Association and made good friends within the neighborhood. She remained in contact with those friends for the next 3 decades even after Frank retired from Mobil and they moved to southern California in 1984. This relocation to the L.A. area was a kind of homecoming as they had many friends and relatives in southern California. Diamond Bar became what they called their “forever home” for the next quarter century.One of Susan’s great prides was a series of articles that she wrote for a local Chinese newspaper about her experience as part of the first cohort of Taiwanese students to immigrate to the United States in the post World War II era.Susan loved to travel; after Frank’s retirement, the couple traveled around the world, to countries like Russia, Peru, Greece, China, among others.When Frank became seriously ill in the early 2000s Susan was by his side every day for the rest of his life. After Frank passed away in 2005, Susan and her youngest son Raymond remained in Diamond Bar for a few more years. In 2010 they moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to be closer to her oldest son Richard and his family.As always, Susan quickly made new friends in her new environment. She always took an interest in people, and in her free time she loved reading autobiographies. Whenever she met someone she would ask them to talk about themselves, and she had a talent for making connections wherever she went.Despite setbacks caused by her stroke in 2017, Susan never gave up. With daily exercises as well as loving encouragement from her closest friends and family members she fought bravely until the end. Unfortunately, her fight came to an end on May 24, 2018. At age 90, Susan passed peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones, having lived a long and happy life.Susan is survived by her two sons Richard and Raymond, her daughter-in-law Diana and two grandchildren Rachel and Stephanie.
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