Obituary of Chia-man Chao

Chia-man Chao of Reston, Virginia, passed away on October 6, 2023, after a heart attack in the night. She was discharged from the Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, on October 5 and checked in to a rehabilitation center in Herndon, Virginia, in the early morning of October 6.

Chia-man Chao was born on October 2, 1953, in the southern city of Chiayi on the beautiful semi-tropical island of Taiwan, approximately 200 miles off the coast of mainland China. Tropic of Cancer stele stands right at the periphery of Chiayi City. To the east, Taiwan's iconic tourism hot spot, mount Ali, looms large on clear days. Near her home are lush rice fields and clear streams from Mount Ali. Just a few minutes' walk away was an excellent wet market. At the center of the city were several famous movie theaters. She was surrounded by an extensive and supportive family in Chiayi from early childhood to adolescence.

Chia-man attended the same Grade and High school in Chiayi as her elder sister, Chia-Chu. She earned her Bachelor's degree in English from National Taiwan University in Taipei. During her college days, she worked at a publication company. After graduation, She performed as a secretary and administered in business organizations and academic institutes. Following her sister Chia-Chu's footsteps, Chia-man attended Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio in 1983. She married her ex-husband in 1984, moved to Maryland in late 1985, and had two boys born in 1985 and 1988, respectively. She raised them as a single parent since 1989. She operated at libraries in the Ohio area. After passing a civil exam, she joined DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting Service) as a staff member in the Accounts Payable division in Columbus, Ohio. While working diligently, she took courses to advance her knowledge and skills. She was promoted to the Audit branch at Selfridge Airforce Base Michigan in 2014. She again rose to the WAWF Administrator/ GCPC AO position at the Navy Medical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland, from which she retired at 68 in good standing in 2021. As a single parent, she had to balance her time between work and study in addition to bringing up her two little kids through college. Yet, she was awarded for her outstanding performance. Her two boys have earned multiple graduate degrees in several areas and worked successfully in their careers. They also have dedicated themselves to defending the country in their military roles.  

As a Christian, she has eagerly studied the Bible, taken God’s words passionately, and expressed gratitude for God’s grace and truth to enrich her physical, mental, and spiritual life. She appreciates the beautiful nature and music and enjoys gardening and traveling. Being a kind and thoughtful person, Chia-man has touched her family members’ and friends’ hearts, and she will live in their hearts forever. She is leaving behind her two sons (Sean in Maryland and David in Virginia). She lived with them respectively in her final years. She’s also survived by her elder sister, Chia-Chu, and brother-in-law, Lipin (Bill), and both of them were close to her and her boys for over 30 years until she passed. They went on vacations, celebrated holidays, and managed issues for solutions together. Her parents (father, Fong-Yun Chao; mother, Kuei-Yin Kuang Chao) and 1st elder brother, Ching-Cheng Chao, are preceded in passing on by her.

Moreover, surviving and caring about her are her daughters-in-law (Yan and Manisha), grandkids (Evelyn, Elaine, and Elise), 1st elder sister-in-law (Yue Hua) in Taiwan, 2nd elder brother Wiliam (Jing-Cheng / Ching-Cheng) and his wife (Huei-Yu) in Taiwan, 3rd elder brother Vincent (Chih-Cheng) and his wife (Poly) in Canada. She is also remained by nephews and nieces in Taiwan and North America, including Maria and Alice in the US; Kuo-Cheng, Judy, Linda, and Wendy in Taiwan; Rick and Tanja in Taiwan; and Eric and Bryan in Canada. She is also survived by many close relatives, including nephews’ and nieces’ spouses and their kids scattered in Taiwan and North America.

A memorial service for Chia-man will be held on December 17 in Reston, Virginia, to honor and memorialize Chia-man for celebrating her 70 years of life and achievements on earth. While she will continue being missed dearly by all her loved ones, we will give all the glory to the Lord who has guided her to win all the battles and challenges and thank the Lord for transforming Chia-man’s life by his grace. May Chis-man’s humble heart and teachable spirit have built her strong faith in God’s promises to prepare her soul and spirit for eternity! May the Lord lead her to her next journey, full of God’s peace, love, and joy! May the Lord continue to guide Chia-man as her eternal Shepherd!