Chanson Aiono Ching

1941 - 2025

Chanson Aiono Ching passed away at his home in Bozeman on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at the age of 84. He was born in Pu'unene on Maui, Hawaii, on June 14, 1941. He attended Catholic school on Maui, and from 8th grade, he attended the residential Kamemeha School for Boys near Honolulu, graduating with the class of 1959. He served in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as a draftsman for three years, then entered the College of San Mateo in California. Transferring to the University of California at Berkeley, he majored in sculpture, studying with Peter Volkous for his B.A., and continued for his M.F.A. in sculpture at the University of Montana, studying with Rudi Autio. While at Berkeley, Chanson married fellow student and sculptor Susan Newell. They had two children, Isami and China.

In 1973, he was appointed Resident Potter at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, and in 1975 taught ceramics as an Artist in the Schools in Great Falls and around the state. He was also a ceramic instructor at Eastern Montana College in Billings and Great Falls and a guest instructor at Montana State in Bozeman. His ceramics have been shown throughout Montana and the Western States. In 1992, his first marriage ended, and he began serving as a rural mail carrier in Belgrade.

Chanson also pursued his interest in photography and film. He joined the Bozeman Film Festival Board, producing an Asian film series, and worked as assistant camera on several films at MSU. Chanson married Doris Loeser, a filmmaker and school counselor, in 2005. Once retired, he joined her for three years in Craig and Atqasuk, Alaska, where he fished for salmon and hunted ptarmigan. Later, the couple's interest in sailing brought them to Port Townsend, WA, where they lived and sailed in the nearby waters.

Chanson was preceded in death by his father, Chan Ching, and his mother, Rena Apo Ching, of Kahului, Maui, HI. He is survived by his wife, Doris Loeser of Port Townsend, WA, daughter, China Ching of Bozeman, MT; son, Isami Ching, daughter-in-law, Charlene Liu, and granddaughters Rifka and Florence, of Eugene, OR; sister Drena P. Ching, of Kahului, Maui, HI; and sister Charen L. Ching, of Mesa, AZ. Cremation has taken place and he will be buried at the Makawao Veterans Cemetery on Maui, HI.

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