Sunny Chu

Sunny Chu (Zhu Yao Zhong), of New York, New York, died unexpectedly of natural causes on July 26, 2025. Sunny was a loving husband, devoted father, accomplished entrepreneur, intrepid traveller, true friend, and a gentleman in the finest sense.

The son of Angela and David Chu, Sunny grew up in Plano, Texas and graduated from Yale College and Harvard Law School. After an early career in corporate law and management consulting, Sunny transitioned to wealth management, serving Dutch and British pensions and a Middle Eastern sovereign fund. For work he lived in Palo Alto, Singapore, Shanghai, Doha, and most recently New York City, where he focused his professional energy on emerging markets investing and international relations.

Well after leaving New Haven, Sunny remained connected to his beloved Yale community, through acts of service large and small. As a fellow of Yale's Davenport College, Sunny periodically traveled back to his alma mater to advise undergraduates and show, by his example, the vast possibilities of a liberal education. In recent years Sunny took on governance roles at the Yale Club of New York City, and was elected Club President in 2024. As President Sunny could be his finest self, at ease among the powerful and privileged, but always with a knowing wink. With pride and a hint of wonder, he marveled that he was able to shut down three lanes of Madison Avenue so a crane could deliver an air conditioning unit to the Club's roof.

Sunny was an intellectual powerhouse with ready recall of a vast knowledge base. An offhand comment from Sunny might require the receiver to crosscheck multiple references before "getting" the joke. An equal opportunity sampler of culture, Sunny would as easily quote his beloved TS Eliot as underground musician Wesley Willis, possibly in the same sentence. In 2001 he was a finalist on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire," where he made it to the $64,000 round.

Sunny travelled frequently and ferociously, first with friends, and later with his wife and daughter. Eschewing sleep, he could soak up the soul of a new city in a day. Sunny reliably dropped by even far-flung friends, always making time for a visit, a cocktail, a laugh.

At ease in a seersucker suit, fearless at a mezcal tasting, and always ready for adventure, Sunny brought old-world charm and grace to any event. With genuine care and interest, Sunny made each of his many friends feel like his best friend. When Sunny asked about your life, he was not making small talk, he was truly listening and making mental notes. His genteel manners, oddball humor, winning smile, and radio-ready baritone made him the life of any party and the glue of a vast web of friends and family left heartbroken by his loss.

Funeral arrangements were held privately. A memorial will be held in the near future.