Thomas Wai-Shun Cheng

Mr. Thomas W. Cheng, of Lexington, died on Monday, April 4, 2022 at Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln. He was 78. Thomas was born in Shantou, China on November 9, 1943 a son of the late Him Yin Cheng and Sow Trin Wong. He was raised in Hong Kong and immigrated to the United States in 1963 to attend Seattle Pacific University. After completing his undergraduate degree in math and physics, he moved to Los Angeles where he attended UCLA for a master's degree in meteorology. He met his wife Cynthia Hsu in San Francisco, and the two married in Los Angeles in 1970. Three years later, the couple participated in a church migration to the Boston area in 1973; first settling in Newton where they started their family and began to serve in the church. Thomas worked as a math teacher at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, then in 1982 returned to school at Northeastern for a second master's degree in Information Systems. This led him to take an engineering position at Draper Labs, a non-profit research and development organization that develops advanced guidance, navigation, and control technologies for the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA. He worked at Draper Labs in Cambridge until his retirement in 2004. Guided by his faith, Thomas took an early retirement so he could devote more time to church service and family. He served faithfully with the Church in Cambridge for many years in various capacities – as a leading brother, Financial Trustee, and with various campus outreach teams at Harvard, BU, and MIT. In addition to his significant church responsibilities, he enjoyed playing piano, singing, history, cartography, and especially spending time with his grandchildren. He touched many people with his kind, gentle and unassuming personality, his steadfast service to the church, and his unwavering pursuit of Christ. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him. In addition to his wife of 52 years, Cynthia (Hsu) Cheng, he leaves his sons, Isaac Cheng and his wife Jessica, of Cambridge, Jachin Cheng, and his wife Jessica, of Singapore, and Daniel Cheng, and his wife Becca, of Arlington, Virginia; his grandchildren, Isaac, Zoe, Liberty, Eben, Bethel, Hope, and Asher; his sisters Esther Yu of New York City and Beryl Chan of Cambridge and many nieces & nephews. He was also the Brother of the Late Linda Karpas, Cary Cheng, and Nelson Cheng. Family and friends will honor and remember Thomas' life by gathering to visit with the family in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Friday, April 15th between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Flowers can be sent to this address. A church memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 16th starting at 4 p.m. in the Church in Cambridge, 2 Cambridgepark Drive, Cambridge. Please contact the family or the church for the meeting and Zoom details. Burial will take place on April 23rd at 1 p.m. in Grace Terrace at Rose Hills Cemetery, Whittier, California.