Obituary of Ya-hui Chiu

Dr. Ya-hui Chiu, beloved husband of Meiling Fang, proud father of Robin and Candice and son-in-law Alex, devoted son of the late Wen Chi and Ya Liu Chiu, and dear brother of Ya-wen, Ya-chang, Ya-min, and Hsiuyun, passed away on Friday, November 4, 2016, in Ridgewood, New Jersey, after a short illness. Ya-hui was born in 1949 in Tainan, Taiwan. He earned his B.S. in Physics from National Taiwan University in 1971, served in Taiwan's military from 1971-1973, and received his M.Phil and Ph.D in Physics from Yale University in 1979. While at Yale, he met and married Meiling, his wife and constant companion for the next four decades. In 1978, while in New Haven, Connecticut, they welcomed their daughter Robin into the world, and in 1982, Candice was born in Tinton Falls, New Jersey. Ya-hui worked for Bell Laboratories from 1981-1983, and as a Senior Engineer (Westar-6 Satellite planning and satellite orbital analyst) at Western Union from 1981-1988. In 1989, Ya-hui joined AsiaSat (Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co.) in Hong Kong, where he stayed for the next 23 years. Beginning as the firm's fourth employee, Ya-hui established and developed AsiaSat's premier satellite operations department, overseeing the maintenance and operations of the satellite fleet. Ya-hui served as AsiaSat's principal representative overseeing seven satellite launches across the world from China to Florida to Kazakhstan. Ya-hui was acknowledged internationally as an expert in the satellite communications area, respected by his colleagues, manufacturers, space brokers, insurers, and consultants alike. Upon his retirement from AsiaSat in 2012, Ya-hui and Meiling settled back in Ridgewood, New Jersey. A world traveler and always ready for an energetic debate, Ya-hui will be remembered for his bright smile, booming voice, adventurous spirit, intellect, and devotion to his friends, family, and his home country of Taiwan and his adopted country of America. An automobile procession to the cremation will begin at Vander Plaat Funeral Home, www.vpfh.com, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, New Jersey, at 10:15am on Saturday, November 12, 2016. The memorial service will be held at 3:00pm at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff, New Jersey. The service will be followed by a gathering at 5:00pm at the Chiu family home at 379 South Irving Street, Ridgewood, New Jersey. There will be a box at the memorial service accepting donation checks (please mark “In memory of Dr. Ya-hui Chiu”) to “Taiwanese American Cultural Center DBA Global Taiwan Institute,” a 501 © (3) nonprofit think tank dedicated to enhancing the Taiwan-U.S. relationship. If you cannot attend the memorial service, please mail donation checks (written out to “Taiwanese American Cultural Center DBA Global Taiwan Institute”) to Meiling Chiu, 379 South Irving Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450.