Vickie Marie Wen

Born Feb. 15, 1963, Vickie Marie (Young) Wen grew up in Pearlington, a small town in Mississippi, the fourth of five children of the late Thomas and Naomi Young. From childhood, she showed a deep passion for learning. She graduated valedictorian of her high school class, and in 1985, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. Over the next decade, Vickie worked for a variety of companies in customer service, communications and advertising. One job brought her to China, where she worked for a Canadian forestry company and also studied Chinese at Tianjin Normal University. In 1995, she met Art Wen at the Young Adult Fellowship at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (now called Menlo Church). They fell in love, finding in each other a shared Christian faith, heart for China and affection for the San Francisco 49ers. They married in 1997 and soon Vickie gave birth to Rachel in 2000 and Michael in 2001. Over the next five years, Vickie devoted her time raising her two beautiful children. She also found time to become a “PowerSeller” on eBay, primarily dealing in kids’ clothing and cross stitch. Her artistic talents came through in her calligraphy and cross stitch. She was a voracious reader and writer, and enjoyed sending notes to others. Hence her email name was “writecards.” Vickie had a great capacity to love, not only her own family and friends, but reaching out and sharing God’s love to others locally and abroad. In 2005, she, Art and their two children went to China to study and work. There, Vickie discovered her passion for teaching English, with students ranging from Ph.D candidates to kindergarteners. In 2012, Vickie was diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that also took her mother’s life. The family returned to California, and over the next four years, Vickie lived life to the fullest despite having cancer. She often said, “If I am not dead, I am not done.” She became a passionate advocate for her own health, but also worked hard as a patient advocate for others. She attracted a loyal following with her “I Want More Than A Pink Ribbon” campaign, which focused on more research in treating metastatic breast cancer. She wrote about her cancer work and journey extensively in these two web sites: http://iwantmorethanapinkribbon.weebly.com/ and https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/vickiewen. While undergoing treatment, Vickie loved spending time with her family. She helped Rachel get her driver’s license and was a “soccer mom” to Michael. She enjoyed traveling, and each child got a special trip with Mom to New York City. This summer the family had a memorable vacation in Maui. Vickie and Art also replicated one of their earliest romantic getaways, taking a four-day trip along the northern California coast. Vickie was also happy to see Art’s parents move in next door to them, and help in their transition to California life. She also devoted energy to keeping up family ties, whether it be visiting her siblings or being Aunt Vickie to her nieces and nephews. Vickie knew that she had a terminal illness, but she did not want to die early. She worked hard on seeking treatments to prolong her life, and exhibited remarkable honesty along the way. That candor was a gift, and enabled her loved ones to understand that her time on this earth may be limited. Vickie died peacefully on Oct. 20, 2016 in her Sunnyvale home, surrounded by her husband, and two children. Vickie came to rest in the arms of Jesus.