Fu Tung 'Fulton' Chen was a most beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend, and professor. He was born in the small village of Xianyou in Fujian, China. He was the youngest of a family of eight children and the first to be born in a hospital. His father was a Methodist minister, and he grew up on the church grounds. It was an idyllic childhood; he spent summer days at the nearby stream catching freshwater shrimp for dinner and cricket fighting with his brother.
Our dad was dedicated to obtaining his education and recalled walking many miles to get to grade school. He was the leader of his junior high school band, in which he played the bugle. He moved to Taiwan, where his siblings had relocated, to complete high school. He received his Bachelor's in Business Administration from New Asia College in Hong Kong and traveled the world as a young man, living and working in Malaysia, New York City, Iran, and Iraq. He attended Indiana University for his M.B.A and the University of Alabama for his Ph.D. in Accounting. He was a certified public accountant and professor in Accounting and Economics at several academic institutions, including Texas A&M Kingsville and Indiana University. Some of his closest lifelong friends were made during his educational career.
In 1981, our dad's brother introduced him to our mother, Chung Yen Shih, at a restaurant in Taipei. They were married soon afterwards and were to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this August. They started their life together in Texas and raised us in the South before settling in Port Orchard, Washington when our dad retired from teaching. He stayed busy authoring a book, First Aid for Democracy and Capitalism: A Plan for World Peace, writing Chinese calligraphy, and tending his Asian pear trees. He loved traveling (our mom greatly appreciated his willingness to do their packing) and classical music, particularly the works of his favorite composer, Beethoven, and the opera Madame Butterfly. Growing up, our dad taught us how to ride a bike, play tennis, shoot pool, and maintain a car, among many other life skills. He enjoyed cooking us breakfast, taking us to school, and preparing beautifully sliced fruit platters every time we returned home in the meticulous way that defined all his actions.
We feel truly blessed to have had a husband and father who was the embodiment of love, kindness, wisdom, and grace; one who tenderly cared for us and provided unwavering support and gentle guidance our entire lives. He is missed beyond words.
Chung Yen, Cindy and Cathy