Dorothy (Tao-Chung) Wei Chih

Dorothy (Tao-Chung) Wei Chih, 93, passed away peacefully of natural causes on Friday, August 10, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was born on September 9, 1924 in Hefei, Anhui Province, China. Tao-Chung grew up during wartime, living in Hefei, Nanjing, and Shanghai. She was the oldest daughter of General Wei Lihuang, one of China’s most successful military commanders known as “Hundred Victories Wei”, who served the Nationalist government throughout the Chinese Civil War and Second Sino-Japanese War. In 1947 she accompanied her father on his six-month military inspection tour of the United States and Europe. Tao-Chung returned to the United States in 1948 as an international student to attend Adelphi College in Garden City, New York. She later transferred to the University of California, Berkeley where she studied home economics and was president of the Chinese Students Association. While at Berkeley, she met Yu-Ju-Chih, a graduate student from Hebei Province, China. In 1949, Dorothy and YJ wed in San Francisco, California, beginning a 67 year marriage until his death in 2016 at age 98. Dorothy is survived by their three children, Julie Chih Staresnick of Indianapolis, Indiana; Les J. Chih and wife Tammy of Worthington, Ohio; and David Wei Chih and wife Teresa Mok of Champaign, Illinois. Also surviving are seven grandchildren; Michelle (Rusty), Jennifer (Andy), Brian (Stacy), Alexander, Matthew, Joshua, and Ethan; five great-grandchildren; Madison, Evan, Norah, Rory, Amelia, and a sixth soon to be born. Dorothy was a homemaker raising their family while YJ pursued a career as a college professor of Chinese language and modern Chinese politics at Yale and Indiana Universities. She worked as a bookkeeper when they lived in East Haven, Connecticut from 1951-1961. She also taught Chinese language for a few years at Indiana University when they lived in Bloomington, Indiana from 1961-2007. In later life, they lived in Fishers Indiana from 2007-2015; Champaign, Illinois from 2015-2016; and after YJ passed away in 2016, Dorothy lived in Indianapolis until her own passing. Dorothy loved to cook, travel, knit, and play mahjong. For many years she and YJ hosted Chinese graduate students in their home almost every weekend and holiday. Dorothy’s homemade jiaozi (pork dumplings) and shizitou (lion’s head meatballs) were always popular. Reading was her favorite past time, including the daily newspaper to keep up with national news and politics. She enjoyed watching the Indianapolis Colts football and was a devoted fan of Indiana University basketball. Above all else, she loved spending time with her family. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Tributes

Dorothy (Tao-Chung) Wei Chih

September 9, 1924 - August 10, 2018