Birth date: Dec 1, 1936 Death date: Jun 12, 2026
Our warrior, Ching Wei Woods, finally gets to rest. Born on December 1, 1936 in Taichung, Taiwan to her mother and father, and grew up among siblings in a rural and mountainous war torn region where each day was spent focused on Read Obituary
Ching was a Blessing to her family. Her love, kindness and support over the many years was a gift. I remember seeing how much she adored her granddaughters Brooke and Ashton. Ching will be missed so much. But the memories her family have will be cherished and last a lifetime. Love, Linda Heritage and Wayne Solberg
Grandma died days before my final. Last minute I changed my final to signify my grandmas impact and influence on my life. For my final we had to create a form of art answering the question “what makes American literature ‘American’?” I wrote and presented this in class.
They told me to find the answers in the books
So I did
Tried anyway
I learned from Gatsby
That America can become obsessed with
Becoming someone else
That we build green lights in the distance and convince ourselves longing is the same thing as belonging
I learned from Hurston
That my voice matters
That language is not broken
Because it sounds different
That people become themselves when they
Finally speak in their own words
I learned from Hugh’s
that america is unfinished
That dreams can be delayed
But people keep singing anyway
I read more
Some about identity
Others about the continuous move
And then I closed the books
Bc I realized
I had already been reading
American literature my whole life
My grandma crossed an ocean
While it was to save her life from war
She raised me
Taught me how to live
Without surviving
And suddenly the books started making sense
Gatsby taught me about longing
Hurston taught me about my voice
But my grandma taught me all of it first
Before I knew the word migration
She crossed an ocean
Before I knew what identity meant
She taught me where I came from
Before I studied literature
She taught me stories about survival
So you ask me:
What makes literature America.
I don’t think it’s the setting
Or the flag
I think it’s
People carrying entire worlds
Inside themselves
And loving someone enough
To hand them over
My grandma never wrote a novel
Hell she couldn’t even read
But she crossed an ocean
And in the 3 days of my whole life
I’ve had to live without her now
I’ve caught myself living the way
She taught me how
So maybe that’s all literature is.
Wò ài nĩ wò měili de năinai❤️🕊️
The most important person in my life! My mom. Ching Wei Woods.
No words yet...I can't fathom our new normal...she was a part of our every day: each daily chore, every weekly task, any given month special occasion, and annual vacation intentions. Her needs and comfort came first and foremost, as she fully deserved. She positively defined multi generation family loyalty. What it looks like now, I can only hope to make her proud.
Love you mom. Miss you always.
