Mei-jy Tung, 83; Greenwich School, Church Volunteer

From Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home.

Mei-jy Tung of Greenwich, passed away peacefully on Monday morning, Sept. 22, 2014 at Greenwich Hospital surrounded by her family. She was 83.

She was born in Tao Yuan, Taiwan on Jan. 4, 1931 to the late Shi-mei Peng and Chin-han Huang.

Early on, Mei-jy worked as a teacher of Japanese language and grammar at the prestigious Nitto Academy in Taipei. She subsequently worked as a Director for Roland Corporation’s inaugural Music Classroom in Taipei. In her spare time, she was an avid golfer and an award winning badminton player.

Mei-jy married her husband, the late James Tung, of 42 years on March 9, 1953 in Hsin Chu, Taiwan. In 1995, Mei-jy and James moved to the United States to live closer to their daughter Lillian and her family.

Mei-jy soon became integrated into the community and was a pillar of strength for the family. She learned to speak English, got her American citizenship, learned to drive in the US, dropped off and picked up her grandson Christopher every day from school, volunteered at Christ Church Greenwich, where Christopher was a choirboy, volunteered at the Greenwich Japanese School, made art from natural found objects, wrote calligraphy, wrote poetry, made many friends at the Greenwich Senior Center, practiced Tai Chi, and helped take care of the family’s dogs, Sally, Toto, and Spot.

Mei-jy is survived by her daughter Lillian Lum and her husband Jeff; her grandson Christopher Lum and his fiancée Sarah; her brother and sister Fred Huang and Hsiu-lan Huang Lu; many nephews, nieces, great nephews, great nieces and the family dog, Spot.

A private funeral will be held for family members at the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at the New York Buddhist Church at 332 Riverside Dr., New York, NY on Monday, Sept. 29 at 2 PM where all family and friends will be welcomed to come and celebrate the life of Mei-jy. She will be interred next to her husband James at the New York Buddhist Church. A separate celebration will be held in Greenwich, on a later date with more details to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mei-jy’s honor may be made to the New York Buddhist Church, 332 Riverside Dr., New York, NY 10025-342.