This is a tribute to our dad David Huang, who passed away on the morning of April 10, 2016 after living a full long life.
Early Life in China
He was born in the town of Suxien in the province of Anhui, China in 1925, the youngest son in a devout Christian family. His name "David" was quite unusual for a Chinese boy, but his dad named him such to show that he belonged to God. His father was an elder at the local Presbyterian Church, but on a business trip to Shanghai, he met Watchman Nee and came to know the way of the Lord's recovery.
When he returned to Suxien, he led his household to start meeting as the church in Suxien in their home. Through his family, they provided hospitality and a foothold for the early co-workers to spread the gospel in the Anhui countryside and nearby provinces. So, one could say that our dad was one of the earliest church kids in the Lord's recovery... You can read about the history of those early meetings in Anhui in "The Collected Works of Watchman Nee" (Vol. 2, Chapter 11).
Being from a Christian family, he studied in missionary schools and learned English as a child. He later attended the National Defense Medical University focusing on dentistry. In 1949, the university moved to Taiwan at the height of the Chinese civil war. He went along with what was supposed to be a temporary measure, which ended up separating him from his family for nearly 50 years…
Revived in Taiwan
Growing up as a church kid, he was not the most burning young person, but after fleeing to Taiwan during the war, he touched the church life anew in Taipei. The fire of the gospel in those early days also caught my dad, and he gave himself again to the Lord and participated in the move that saw the churches increase from 500 to 50,000 in five years. He met our mom also in the church, and they married in 1958 and together had five daughters.
In the late 1970s, they looked to move to the U.S. for a better future, and our dad became an immigrant for the second time and moved us all to Chicago in 1977. In those early days, he studied to get his dental license while my mom tried her hand at running several small businesses. Here in Chicago, the church was once again the center of their living, and they moved the family to Arlington Heights when the church met there.
Reunited with Family
In the 1980s, China began to gradually open its doors to the West, and our dad got back in touch with his family. He knew his dad had passed away, but found his mom and his siblings still living in China. They began to correspond, and that eventually led to his sister Xiwan (Julia) and a few nieces and nephews emigrating to the U.S.
During the decades from the 80s to the 90s, many of our relatives came and lived with us as they emigrated. Even though we weren't well off, it didn't matter if they were from my mom's side or from his side of the family, he made them all feel welcomed and helped them as much as he could.
After his mom passed away he began to consider a return visit to China. He was in his 70s, 49 years after his "temporary move" with the University, that he finally got to go "home." He and his siblings separated as teens and reunited as silvered-haired grandparents. That visit in 1998 was the final reunion of David and his older brother DaRae and his sister Xi'an.
A Normal Life with Christ
Back home, he continued to live a normal human life in the church life, caring for many people along the way. He has helped unbelievers to come to the Lord, and new believer to know the Lord. In his last months, he was not able to walk, get out of bed on his own or read, so he would sing hymns from his memory, praise the Lord from his bed and pray for the churches here and back in China.
Our dad was the kindest, most generous man we know. He was not one to "preach" or to scold, but through his gentle demeanor, you are cherished in his presence. God was rich to him his whole life, and he passed away after completing his full course.
Priscilla, Esther, Naomi, Rebecca & Betty
