My dear friend, George H. Wang, died peacefully surrounded by his family and many of his cherished friends on December 5, 2019.
Source: www.georgewangmemorial.com
On December 11, more than 600 friends, family members and different sectors of the Asian American community filled the Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York to honor and celebrate George’s life and legacy. When I arrived at the church, there was a line of people down the block waiting to offer the family comfort and express their condolences. The beautiful music filled tribute, featuring his son, Matthew Wang and Grace Kelly performing “Remember Me” from Coco, and brother-in-law John Yoon, niece Chrisy Yoon and Matthew playing “Be Thou My Vision”, was followed by a reception. Below is an intimate view of the celebration.
Back row: John Yoon, his wife Yunhee Yoon, Matthew Wang, Brian Wang, Kyung H. Yoon, her husband Wayne Snyder, niece Jane Jihae Yoon. Front row: Kyung B. Yoon, George’s mother En Ming Wang, sister Aveline, and niece Chrisy Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
George was born in New York City on February 12, 1952 to En-Ming and Thomas Ke-Liang Wang. He graduated from Cornell University in 1973 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, went on to earn his Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from MIT in 1975, and finally received his Juris Doctorate in 1978 from Cornell Law School.
Seated: George’s mother En Ming Wang, sister Aveline. Standing: Brian Wang, Kyung B. Yoon, Matthew Wang. Photo by Lia Chang
George married Kyung B. Yoon in 1989. George and Kyung shared a joyous marriage, living in New York City together for 30 years, and had two sons, Brian H. Wang, born 1993, and Matthew T. Wang, born 1995.
A memorial for George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
George led a varied and accomplished life, building a successful career as a corporate transactions attorney in New York City over the decades. He also served as Board Chair of the Asian American Federation from 2011 through 2015, and was an educational counselor for MIT for more than 15 years. Known by his many colleagues to be brilliant and kind-hearted in equal measure, George was nevertheless always most at home driving his tractor or tending to the plants around his family’s farmhouse in Dutchess County, New York.
Kyung B. Yoon at the memorial services for her husband, George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Throughout his life, George was most defined by his deep and unconditional love for his family and friends.
George’s sons, Brian Wang and Matthew Wang at the memorial service for their father, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Devoted, kind, gentle, and fun-loving, George could often be found cooking dumplings and Chinese treats at home, cracking silly jokes at a gathering of friends, or simply looking for a way to help a friend or loved one in need. An engineer at heart, he is remembered as a tinkerer and a dutiful handyman, as well as being a generous giver of expert legal advice and a master chef come every Thanksgiving day. Finally, George is remembered for his deep faith and love of God.
George was immensely proud of his superstar wife Kyung and their two sons— fellow Cornellian and engineer Brian, and composer and beloved younger son Matthew.
A memorial for George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
If you would like to make a donation in George’s honor in lieu of flowers, there are two organizations that meant a lot to George and reflected his commitment to the Asian American community.
A memorial for George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
George served on the Board of the Asian American Federation (www.aafederation.org) for many years and as Board Chair from 2011-2015, championing the well-being of the pan-Asian community. George was also devoted to Kyung and tremendously proud of her work with the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) (www.kacfny.org). In words and action, he was a staunch supporter of KACF’s mission to lift up the Korean and Asian American communities of New York.
Boon Sim and Pastor Andrew Field at the memorial service for their friend, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Edmund Kwan speaks at the memorial service for his friend, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Matthew Wang speaks at the memorial service for his father, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Matthew Wang and Grace Kelly performing “Remember Me” from Coco. Photo by Lia Chang
Pastor John Lin speaks at the memorial service for George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Brother-in-law John Yoon, niece Chrisy Yoon and son Matthew Wang playing “Be Thou My Vision” at the memorial service for George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Jane Jihae Yoon speaks at the memorial service for her uncle, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Aveline Wang speaks at the memorial service for her brother, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Brian Wang speaks at the memorial service for his father, George H. Wang, at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
John Yoon, Kyung B. Yoon and Kyung H. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Grace Niwa, Kyung B. Yoon, Susan Kim Tsui. Photo by Lia Chang
Alex Chi, Kyung B. Yoon and In Seon Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang
Deepu Advani, Kyung B. Yoon and Wendy Lehman. Photo by Lia Chang
John Liu and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Grace Niwa, Maria Yip-Lord, Grace Kellum and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Kyung B. Yoon, Michael Chung and Hajin Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Christina Woo, Julie Chon, Kyung B. Yoon, Jason Chon, Kwanghee Kim, Kenneth Kim, James Woo. Photo by Lia Chang
Kyung B. Yoon, Miko Sakata, Katie Grobeck, Tracy Barbarino Hattem. Photo by Lia Chang
Reddy Lee, Pippa Lee, Kyung B. Yoon, Dinny Kim Latshaw, Gina Sohn, Gregory Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Larry Hackett, Eddie Chung, John Kim, Kyung B. Yoon, Sunyoung Chung. Photo by Lia Chang
Ti-Hua Chang, Kyung B. Yoon and Elaine Huie Chang. Photo by Lia Chang
Rochelle Yu, Kyung B. Yoon and Brigette Noh. Photo by Lia Chang
AAJA friends, from left: Lia Chang, Jeannie Park, Essa Yip, Cindy Hsu, Ernabel DeMillo, Dan Woo, Minnie Roh. Photo by Lia Chang
Metropolitan Montessori School friends: Evan Friedland, Michael Sugarman, Diane Mardini, Beth Sugarman, Jordan Friedland, Nina Scerbo, Deanna Kory, Kyung B. Yoon, Marion Moritz, Adrienne Friedland, Stu Sugarman. Photo by Lia Chang
From left: Audrey Wu, Dan Woo, Jeannie Park, Ti-Hua Chang, Elaine Huie Chang, Peter Sung Lee, Kyung Yoon, Susan Iger, Donna Hanover, Ernabel Demillo, Henry Moritsugu, Corky Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Chin Koock, Joan Pierpoline, Kyung B. Yoon, Sunjae Oh, Seung Oh. Photo by Lia Chang
JoAnn Yoo, Kyung B. Yoon, Chanwoo Lee, Karen Kim, Kwanghee Kim. Photo by Lia Chang
Moseh Cho, Samuel Rabkin, Kyung B. Yoon, Wynn Salisch. Photo by Lia Chang
Tony Lee, Susan Kwan, Kyung B. Yoon, Sam Kim, So-Chung Shinn. Photo by Lia Chang
Kyung B. Yoon and Grace Kelly. Photo by Lia Chang
Trinity School friends: Gregory Ho, Carmen Bayer-Jourdain, Charlotte Ackert, Kyung B. Yoon, Grace Kelly, Linda Sanchez, Julia Ho. Photo by Lia Chang
Carmen Bauer-Jourdain, Kyung B. Yoon, Linda Sanchez, Charlotte Ackert. Photo by Lia Chang
Wellesley College friends: Jeana Cho, Lisa Faith Phillips, Leslie Wolf-Creutzfeldt, Kyung Yoon, Michelle Myong Sook Lee, Catherine Choi, Young M’Young Kim. Photo by Lia Chang
Jeana Cho, Kyung B. Yoon, Brian Cho. Photo by Lia Chang
Lina Lee, Kyung B. Yoon and Shekar Krishnan. Photo by Lia Chang
Will, Kyung B. Yoon, Jeehae Kim, Younghee Kim. Photo by Lia Chang
Jeannie Park, Kyung B. Yoon, Mr. and Mrs. Yoon Soo Park. Photo by Lia Chang
Minnie Roh, Kyung B. Yoon and Will Chang Photo by Lia Chang
Sung Lee, Kyung B. Yoon, Jun Whang, Anna Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Wayne Snyder, Kyung H. Yoon, Edmund Kwan, Kyung B. Yoon, Gyu Whan Yoon, Calvin Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Andrew Sanders, Thai Lee, Kyung B. Yoon, Jung Lee Sanders, Mari Lee. Photo by Lia Chang
Margarette Lee and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Simon Kim and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
David Han and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Kyung B. Yoon and Fatima Shama. Photo by Lia Chang
Elise Chong and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Sandor Hau and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
Suok Noh and Kyung B. Yoon. Photo by Lia Chang
The memorial service for George H. Wang at Redeemer Presbyterian Church West Side in New York on December 11, 2019. Photo by Lia Chang
Flowers from George’s mom, En Ming Wang, and sister Aveline Wang and brother Johnny Wang. Photo by Lia Chang
Lia Chang. Photo by Garth Kravits. Photo by Lia Chang
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the films Wolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman and Hide and Seek. She is profiled in Jade Magazine and Playbill.com.
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