May 8, 2021
by Helen Liu
John (王强) was born on May 5, 1963 in Zhengzhou, Henan, China as the youngest in a family of five. He was beloved by his parents and two older siblings, and he used to tell us stories about the delicious Nanjing dishes that his grandpa would cook for Chinese New Year.
As a child, John was an energetic and clever troublemaker. He would slingshot squirrels, swipe eggs, play ball with friends, and fool around in class. After seeing his older sister go to university, John was inspired to excel in his academics.
John attended 清华大学 (Tsinghua University) in Beijing in 1980, as part of the 水工02 (hydraulic engineering 02) class. For five years He lived with five roommates that he studied, ate, bunked, and adventured with. His classmates told us their stories, including field trips to dams, soccer and handball, doing laundry by hand, snowball fights, ice skating and winter swimming, exploring Beijing, scaling walls for a midnight stroll in 圆明园 （the Old Summer Palace), learning to waltz from roommates and biking to 北大 (Peking University) for dances, getting lost all day while hiking in the hills and finding a farmhouse canteen to share a delicious meal together.
After graduating in 1985, John worked in Shenzhen for two years in customs, which opened his eyes to global commerce and the world’s horizons. He also discovered his love of fresh seafood, like 石斑鱼。
Back at Tsinghua for his master’s, John switched from engineering to economics and management, which cemented his lifelong interest in business and economics. John and my mom met at a Tsinghua dance in the 12th canteen, waltzing together all night. My mom says he was a wonderful dancer, tall and lanky, and he had a full head of jet black hair at the time.
In 1990 John immigrated to the US to attend Kansas University for his PhD in economics. He and his classmates spent countless hours writing papers and conducting econometric analyses on 9-inch Macintosh computer screens. He always said that his nearsightedness came from staring at a tiny screen while writing his PhD thesis on global trade. My mom later joined him at KU, and with their friends they made time for fun even as immigrant college students – road trips to Disneyland, Chicago and Texas, fishing and playing mahjong and cooking Chinese dishes together.
John got his first job at Sprint and celebrated by buying his first new car. Their days in Kansas City didn’t last long as John set his eyes on going west to “strike California gold”. He worked at Providian (Unbanked Credit) and then Wells Fargo (CIRM team) with close friends and colleagues for many years.
Meanwhile, at home, Iris was born in April 1998 and Tori followed in March 2002. John spearheaded countless family adventures – skiing, hiking, camping, fishing, biking, swimming, rafting, chasing sunset views on ocean beaches and mountain peaks, from Yosemite to Hawaii to Lake Tahoe – in all seasons, with Mom steadfastly planning and organizing to make everything possible. Tori and Iris also spent years doing gymnastics, and John attended every competition all over California to cheer us on. We were joined by our loyal german shepherd puppy Steffi in early 2014, and she became Dad’s steadfast companion during daily walks and hottub stargazing.
Around 2013-2016, John frequently returned to China, including as a guest speaker at conferences and at 清华大学. In 2015 he returned for his 30year college reunion, where for the first time he reunited with many college friends he hadn’t seen for decades. In 2016 John took Iris to China, to see family in Zhengzhou and meet his college friends during a reunion trip in Sichuan, exploring China’s best sights from Chengdu to 泸沽湖。
In early summer 2018, John was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. For 3 years he fought bravely, undergoing several forms of treatment and continuing to enjoy the best life had to offer – sushi and swimming, photographing the moon, hikes around the Bay and long sunset bike rides, and dinners with family and old friends. He even returned to work for half a year, and commuted together with Iris to San Francisco. Due to Covid-19, he was not able to travel as much as hoped, but we were blessed that all of our family was home together for the last year – Tori virtually starting college at UCLA, and Iris graduating from Dartmouth and working from home.
My last conversation with him was the night before he had a fatal cancer-induced stroke. We discussed WWII history, including why Pearl Harbor was attacked and Stalin’s military strategies, with mom listening on. He was just as sharp and bright and free thinking as he’s always been, as full of life and laughter as ever. Wherever he is now, I know he’s enjoying colorful sunsets, lively debate and music, and a mojito. John, we love you always.
- Iris, Tori, and Lisa
王强（JOHN）1963年5月5日生于中国河南省郑州市。他是五口之家的老疙瘩，父母和姐姐哥哥对他疼爱有加。 他以前常常跟我们提到他姥爷春节专门烹饪的美味南京菜肴。
儿时的王强精力充沛，调皮捣蛋。他用弹弓射松鼠，掏鸡窝，跟小伙伴打球，在教室里瞎闹。姐姐考上大学鼓舞了王強，他下决心要在学业上出类拔萃。
王强1980年考入清华大学水利工程系，在水工02班。清华的五年里，他与五个舍友同吃，同住，同学习，同冒险。他的同学跟我们讲过许多往事，包括去水坝工地实习，踢足球和玩手球，手洗衣裳，打雪仗，溜冰和冬泳，到北京各处踩点，半夜翻校园围墙去圆明园，和室友学跳华尔兹，骑车去北大舞会，爬山时迷路整天后在农家小馆里一起大快朵颐。
1985年大学毕业后，王强在深圳海关工作。这个经历让他大开眼界，看到国际商务和世界的广阔天地。也是在深圳时他爱上吃海鲜，比如石斑鱼。
两年后王强回到清华园，改行就读经济管理专业的研究生，从此铸造了他一生对商业和经济学的浓厚兴趣。王强和我母亲在清华十二食堂里的舞会上相识，他俩共舞了一整晚。妈妈说爸爸舞跳得极好，歌也唱得好。那时的他高高瘦瘦，满头浓密乌发。
1990年王强移居美国，在堪萨斯大学攻读经济学博士。他和同学常常耗时无数写论文，在九英寸大的苹果电脑屏幕上作计量经济分析。他常说他的近视要归功于长时间盯着这么小的电脑屏幕写关于国际贸易的博士论文。我妈妈后来也到堪萨斯大学就读，虽然是穷学生，他们苦中作乐，和朋友们一起游迪斯尼乐园，自驾到芝加哥，德州游玩，钓鱼，打麻将，一起烹调中国美食。
王强从Sprint收获了在美的第一个工作，他买了生平第一辆新车以示庆贺。他们在堪萨斯城的时间并不长，因为王强把目光转向了西部，开始他们的加州开拓旅程。他先是在Providian作无银行账户者的信用业务，然后加盟富国银行的CIRM团队，与很多亲近的朋友和同事共事多年。
家庭生活里，Iris在1998年，Tori在2002年出生。一年四季，王强率领妻女三个出游无数－滑雪，远足，露营，钓鱼，骑车，游泳，泛舟，到海岸山巅看日出日落，从优山美地到夏威夷到太浩湖；妈妈则是那位可靠的规划组织，让一切想法变为现实的人。Tori和Iris练体操多年，不管比赛在加州的哪个角落，王强都会到场为我们加油。2014年初，我们家多了一名家庭成员：忠诚的德国牧羊犬Steffi，她成了爸爸每天步行和在温泉浴里仰望星空的可靠伴侣。
2013－2016年间，王强屡次返华，在研讨会上和清华大学作客座讲员。2015年他回到北京参加清华大学毕业30年重聚，第一次和许多久违的老同学重逢。2016年王强带着Iris回国，到郑州探访家人，到四川参加大学同学的重聚之旅，遍游了成都和泸沽湖之间的名山大川。
2018年初夏，王强被诊断出肺癌四期。三年以来，他顽强地与癌症作斗争，接受了多重方法的治疗，同时继续尽情享受生活给予他的一切－寿司，星空下的温泉浴，拍下明月的倩影，踏遍湾区的青山步道，黄昏时长距离骑自行车出游，还有与亲朋好友一起享受美食。有半年他回公司上班，每日和Iris一起坐捷运通勤。新冠疫情爆发后，他无法如愿旅行，但幸运的是全家能在一起渡过一年的时光－Tori在网上开始了她在UCLA的新生生涯，Iris从达特茅斯大学毕业开始在家上班－实在也是一种美好的祝福。
在王强因癌症引发致命中风的前夜，我与他有过最后一次对话。我们谈起了第二次世界大战，包括珍珠港被袭，斯大林的军事策略，妈妈在旁含笑倾听。他依然是那么聪敏，睿智，思维如常活跃，生命力如常饱满，笑声如常爽朗。不管他此刻在哪儿，我知道王强，我的爸爸，正享受着绚丽的落日，活力四射的辩论，美妙的音乐，和一杯莫吉托美酒。王强，爸爸，我们永远爱你。
As a child, John was an energetic and clever troublemaker. He would slingshot squirrels, swipe eggs, play ball with friends, and fool around in class. After seeing his older sister go to university, John was inspired to excel in his academics.
John attended 清华大学 (Tsinghua University) in Beijing in 1980, as part of the 水工02 (hydraulic engineering 02) class. For five years He lived with five roommates that he studied, ate, bunked, and adventured with. His classmates told us their stories, including field trips to dams, soccer and handball, doing laundry by hand, snowball fights, ice skating and winter swimming, exploring Beijing, scaling walls for a midnight stroll in 圆明园 （the Old Summer Palace), learning to waltz from roommates and biking to 北大 (Peking University) for dances, getting lost all day while hiking in the hills and finding a farmhouse canteen to share a delicious meal together.
After graduating in 1985, John worked in Shenzhen for two years in customs, which opened his eyes to global commerce and the world’s horizons. He also discovered his love of fresh seafood, like 石斑鱼。
Back at Tsinghua for his master’s, John switched from engineering to economics and management, which cemented his lifelong interest in business and economics. John and my mom met at a Tsinghua dance in the 12th canteen, waltzing together all night. My mom says he was a wonderful dancer, tall and lanky, and he had a full head of jet black hair at the time.
In 1990 John immigrated to the US to attend Kansas University for his PhD in economics. He and his classmates spent countless hours writing papers and conducting econometric analyses on 9-inch Macintosh computer screens. He always said that his nearsightedness came from staring at a tiny screen while writing his PhD thesis on global trade. My mom later joined him at KU, and with their friends they made time for fun even as immigrant college students – road trips to Disneyland, Chicago and Texas, fishing and playing mahjong and cooking Chinese dishes together.
John got his first job at Sprint and celebrated by buying his first new car. Their days in Kansas City didn’t last long as John set his eyes on going west to “strike California gold”. He worked at Providian (Unbanked Credit) and then Wells Fargo (CIRM team) with close friends and colleagues for many years.
Meanwhile, at home, Iris was born in April 1998 and Tori followed in March 2002. John spearheaded countless family adventures – skiing, hiking, camping, fishing, biking, swimming, rafting, chasing sunset views on ocean beaches and mountain peaks, from Yosemite to Hawaii to Lake Tahoe – in all seasons, with Mom steadfastly planning and organizing to make everything possible. Tori and Iris also spent years doing gymnastics, and John attended every competition all over California to cheer us on. We were joined by our loyal german shepherd puppy Steffi in early 2014, and she became Dad’s steadfast companion during daily walks and hottub stargazing.
Around 2013-2016, John frequently returned to China, including as a guest speaker at conferences and at 清华大学. In 2015 he returned for his 30year college reunion, where for the first time he reunited with many college friends he hadn’t seen for decades. In 2016 John took Iris to China, to see family in Zhengzhou and meet his college friends during a reunion trip in Sichuan, exploring China’s best sights from Chengdu to 泸沽湖。
In early summer 2018, John was diagnosed with stage IV cancer. For 3 years he fought bravely, undergoing several forms of treatment and continuing to enjoy the best life had to offer – sushi and swimming, photographing the moon, hikes around the Bay and long sunset bike rides, and dinners with family and old friends. He even returned to work for half a year, and commuted together with Iris to San Francisco. Due to Covid-19, he was not able to travel as much as hoped, but we were blessed that all of our family was home together for the last year – Tori virtually starting college at UCLA, and Iris graduating from Dartmouth and working from home.
My last conversation with him was the night before he had a fatal cancer-induced stroke. We discussed WWII history, including why Pearl Harbor was attacked and Stalin’s military strategies, with mom listening on. He was just as sharp and bright and free thinking as he’s always been, as full of life and laughter as ever. Wherever he is now, I know he’s enjoying colorful sunsets, lively debate and music, and a mojito. John, we love you always.
- Iris, Tori, and Lisa
王强（JOHN）1963年5月5日生于中国河南省郑州市。他是五口之家的老疙瘩，父母和姐姐哥哥对他疼爱有加。 他以前常常跟我们提到他姥爷春节专门烹饪的美味南京菜肴。
儿时的王强精力充沛，调皮捣蛋。他用弹弓射松鼠，掏鸡窝，跟小伙伴打球，在教室里瞎闹。姐姐考上大学鼓舞了王強，他下决心要在学业上出类拔萃。
王强1980年考入清华大学水利工程系，在水工02班。清华的五年里，他与五个舍友同吃，同住，同学习，同冒险。他的同学跟我们讲过许多往事，包括去水坝工地实习，踢足球和玩手球，手洗衣裳，打雪仗，溜冰和冬泳，到北京各处踩点，半夜翻校园围墙去圆明园，和室友学跳华尔兹，骑车去北大舞会，爬山时迷路整天后在农家小馆里一起大快朵颐。
1985年大学毕业后，王强在深圳海关工作。这个经历让他大开眼界，看到国际商务和世界的广阔天地。也是在深圳时他爱上吃海鲜，比如石斑鱼。
两年后王强回到清华园，改行就读经济管理专业的研究生，从此铸造了他一生对商业和经济学的浓厚兴趣。王强和我母亲在清华十二食堂里的舞会上相识，他俩共舞了一整晚。妈妈说爸爸舞跳得极好，歌也唱得好。那时的他高高瘦瘦，满头浓密乌发。
1990年王强移居美国，在堪萨斯大学攻读经济学博士。他和同学常常耗时无数写论文，在九英寸大的苹果电脑屏幕上作计量经济分析。他常说他的近视要归功于长时间盯着这么小的电脑屏幕写关于国际贸易的博士论文。我妈妈后来也到堪萨斯大学就读，虽然是穷学生，他们苦中作乐，和朋友们一起游迪斯尼乐园，自驾到芝加哥，德州游玩，钓鱼，打麻将，一起烹调中国美食。
王强从Sprint收获了在美的第一个工作，他买了生平第一辆新车以示庆贺。他们在堪萨斯城的时间并不长，因为王强把目光转向了西部，开始他们的加州开拓旅程。他先是在Providian作无银行账户者的信用业务，然后加盟富国银行的CIRM团队，与很多亲近的朋友和同事共事多年。
家庭生活里，Iris在1998年，Tori在2002年出生。一年四季，王强率领妻女三个出游无数－滑雪，远足，露营，钓鱼，骑车，游泳，泛舟，到海岸山巅看日出日落，从优山美地到夏威夷到太浩湖；妈妈则是那位可靠的规划组织，让一切想法变为现实的人。Tori和Iris练体操多年，不管比赛在加州的哪个角落，王强都会到场为我们加油。2014年初，我们家多了一名家庭成员：忠诚的德国牧羊犬Steffi，她成了爸爸每天步行和在温泉浴里仰望星空的可靠伴侣。
2013－2016年间，王强屡次返华，在研讨会上和清华大学作客座讲员。2015年他回到北京参加清华大学毕业30年重聚，第一次和许多久违的老同学重逢。2016年王强带着Iris回国，到郑州探访家人，到四川参加大学同学的重聚之旅，遍游了成都和泸沽湖之间的名山大川。
2018年初夏，王强被诊断出肺癌四期。三年以来，他顽强地与癌症作斗争，接受了多重方法的治疗，同时继续尽情享受生活给予他的一切－寿司，星空下的温泉浴，拍下明月的倩影，踏遍湾区的青山步道，黄昏时长距离骑自行车出游，还有与亲朋好友一起享受美食。有半年他回公司上班，每日和Iris一起坐捷运通勤。新冠疫情爆发后，他无法如愿旅行，但幸运的是全家能在一起渡过一年的时光－Tori在网上开始了她在UCLA的新生生涯，Iris从达特茅斯大学毕业开始在家上班－实在也是一种美好的祝福。
在王强因癌症引发致命中风的前夜，我与他有过最后一次对话。我们谈起了第二次世界大战，包括珍珠港被袭，斯大林的军事策略，妈妈在旁含笑倾听。他依然是那么聪敏，睿智，思维如常活跃，生命力如常饱满，笑声如常爽朗。不管他此刻在哪儿，我知道王强，我的爸爸，正享受着绚丽的落日，活力四射的辩论，美妙的音乐，和一杯莫吉托美酒。王强，爸爸，我们永远爱你。