Born September 8, 1928 in Suzhou, China. Passed away peacefully, at age 89, in Seattle, WA on July 3rd, 2017.
John grew up in Shanghai, China and survived eight years of Japanese occupation during WW II. He attended the prestigious St. John’s University (Shanghai) and in 1948 left family and home for Taiwan, fleeing the Communist regime. He finished his undergraduate education in 1952 and received a B.A. in Economics from Taiwan University in Taipei. He served as an Artillery Lieutenant in the army of the Republic of China. He then came to the U.S. as a foreign student in 1953. He received his M.A. from University of Kentucky (Louisville) and then met and married Wenchiang Liang in 1959 before completing his doctorate in Economics from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) in 1960. Moving to Seattle after accepting an appointment to the University of Washington, he and Wenchiang began their family with the births of two sons.
John devoted his professional life to teaching Applied Business Statistics at the University of Washington, Foster School of Business, from 1960-1996 except for a 2-year hiatus when the Asia Foundation invited him to Taiwan to utilize his acumen in economics to aid Taiwan’s growing economy. His statistical abilities were utilized by a wide range of industries from the Olympia Brewing Company for marketing analysis to the Seattle Police Department for staffing projections.
He studied history and traveled extensively to all corners of the world to see firsthand what he had researched for decades. He was keenly interested in investing and personal finance and shared his knowledge freely. He also had a steady and gifted hand for Chinese calligraphy. One of his works is now on permanent display at the Group Health (now Kaiser) emergency clinic on Capitol Hill in Seattle. John also enjoyed volunteering his time as a docent at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. His knowledge of fine arts and calligraphy and his appreciation of Chinese history and culture were fully utilized by visitors and staff alike.
He is survived by his wife Wenchiang Liang (Seattle), and two sons, Dr. Andrew Chiu (Karen Chiu) of Duluth, MN, and Michael Chiu (Kari Gilje) of Fall City, WA; four grandchildren, Alexa and Marc Chiu, Duluth, MN; Analise and Kristina Gilje Chiu, Fall City, WA; and a sister, Liguo Chiu, Shanghai, China.