Esther Ting

Esther Ting Age 18, Born April 30, 1990. She returned to the arms of the Lord on April 13, 2009. Esther was the beloved, beautiful, and most precious daughter of Dr. George Ting and Debra Ting. She is also survived by her step-brother, Nicholas Smith, and many, many aunts, uncles, cousins, niece, and nephew who loved her dearly, as well as her godparents, Peter and Kristin Kerman, and the Skeffs; who were family of the heart and who cherished her as much as we did; Chase, her childhood friend, Brian, her new-found friend, and all the lovely young people who "hung" out with her over the years. As a little toddler, Esther went through a little phase in which she pretended she was a puppy and insisted that everyone refer to her as one. Although we had so many endearing nicknames for her throughout her life, Pupper was one that stuck. But Esther also took great pride in her first name because it came from Queen Esther in Holy Scripture. All through childhood, she used to float through the house in long, flowing nightgowns imagining that she was the noble Queen. That's all she really wanted to wear so she had many; made by her mother, of soft pastel colors. Not to mention the many slippers she wore through as she slid up and down the hallway floors. She was an avid reader and loved to make herself a cup of hot chocolate and settle in with stacks of books. And she was also lively and energetic; with natural athletic ability. On our first golf outing together as a family when Esther was seven, she made par on her first try. Even though she was better than the rest of us at the game, her preference was to tag along and collect discarded golf tees. At Christmas-time, she would proudly present us with boxfuls, wrapped in ribbons. In her teens, she took over the kitchen on a regular basis because she loved making cookies for her many friends. Her father's most precious memories were singing theme songs together from their favorite movies such as "Star Wars," the annual Menlo Park Presbyterian Church "Dads and Kids Camp," where she loved swinging from high tree ropes, and the special talks they shared as they drove up to their annual ski trip at Tahoe. Hiking the Bunny Loop trail at "Hidden Villa," the annual Christmas tea party in San Francisco, hours and hours spent gathering books at the library, and baking together were just some of the traditions that Esther and her mom loved to do together. We all had such respect for Esther's amazing ability to bounce back from overwhelming difficulties with renewed joy and enthusiasm and we marveled that she was able to do this over and over and over. She had a huge and good heart and was extremely generous. All through her childhood, her $4 dollar per week allowance was spent on gifts for the family or on donations to various organizations. As a teenager, she regularly donated blood. She delighted in doing so. Esther loved all things Japanese and became fluent, learning to speak the language by studying in the Bay area during middle school and high school and in Tokyo every summer. She attended Pinewood Elementary School, The Kings Academy Middle School and High School, where she was on the Swimming team and the Tennis team, and Mountain View High School where graduated June 2008. She began her college studies at Northeastern University in Boston last September. Esther left this world too soon and thus she did not get the chance to discover her path in life and to grow into womanhood. We grieve that she will never be able to experience the incredible joy and blessing that we were given to be parents and to have her as our daughter. But we take great comfort in the fact that, with her passing, we are able to honor her wishes that she still be able to give life by donating her organs. Although we do not understand why she had such a short time on earth, we pray that Esther is being held so tenderly and lovingly in the hands of the Lord and that she is now at peace. As her parents, we thank God every single day for giving us the gift of the last 18 years. Esther's life made us better people and we are forever changed. She will be in our hearts "always and forever." We are very grateful to Stanford Hospital ICU, unit E. We could not have made it through the last few days without the incredible kindness and care of all the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff. Open Casket Visitation, Sunday, April 19, at Spangler Mortuary (Spanglermortuary.com), 399 So. San Antonio, Los Altos, 5:00- 8:30 pm. Funeral service at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos, Monday, April 20, 12:30 pm. We ask that memorials be donated to the Esther Ting Foundation, c/o Foundation Source, 55 Walls Drive, 3rd Floor, Fairfield, CT 06824.