John Hsia

1938 - 2020

Hsia, John
1938 - 2020
John S. Hsia, Ph.D., of Columbus, Ohio, passed peacefully at First Community Village on July 27, 2020 at the age of 81 from complications of a stroke incurred in September of 2019. John was born in Shanghai, China on December 16, 1938 to parents Julia and Chang Van Hsia. He and his siblings emigrated from China to Japan with their parents while John was a young child. John attended high School at the American School in Japan before leaving to attend college in the United States. John is preceded in death by siblings Charlman (Baling), Ming (Jean), Nancy Lee (George), and Mayling Clark (Neil). He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Lynette (Wehmeyer) Hsia of Columbus, Ohio; brother, Thomas (Antonietta) of Sao Paulo, Brazil; and two daughters, Kimberly Hsia (Stephen Ricci) of Hilliard, Ohio and Lisa Knight (Adam) of Peterborough, England. John has one granddaughter, Emily Ricci; two step-grandchildren, Andrew Ricci (Ashley) and Megan Ricci; and many nieces and nephews. Emily was the light of his life. His devotion in teaching and creating lasting memories with her will be fondly remembered and will serve as a source of peace and strength for Emily as she grows. John's lasting bonds with his many colleagues, students, and friends were a great source of joy in his life. John was a world-class research mathematician and educator. He studied Mathematics and Engineering at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1966. His distinguished academic career in the Department of Mathematics at The Ohio State University spanned 35 years, during which he inspired many students and colleagues through his seemingly boundless energy, enthusiasm, and dedication. John supervised the dissertation research of doctoral students from around the world, to whom he became a lifelong mentor and friend. John's research was focused on Number Theory, a classical branch of abstract mathematics that has contemporary applications in communication and information technology. Much of his research work, which is published in over 50 papers in internationally-recognized journals in mathematics, was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency. In addition to his own research, he edited volumes of conference proceedings and served on the editorial boards of leading journals in his field. Due to Coronavirus concerns, a service of remembrance for immediate family only will be held at Newcomer Funeral Home, 3393 Broadway, Grove City, OH 43123. In lieu of gifts and flowers, the family asks that John be remembered in a special way by making donations in his memory to American Mathematical Society, Development Department, 201 Charles St., Providence, RI 02904 or online at www.ams.org/giving/ways-to-give/in-honor-of. The family wishes to thank the dedicated and caring staff at First Community Village and Marcia Strall of ElderLife Solutions, who became part of our family during his stay there. We also thank our family and friends for their thoughts, prayers, cards, phone calls, and visits while he was trying to recover over the past year. You have all brought us great comfort. To leave a message of condolence, you may visit www.NewcomerColumbus.com.