Chi Jean Chu

Chi Jean Chu, née Hsiung, died peacefully at the Beth Israel Lahey Sawtelle Family Hospice House in Reading, MA on August 30, 2025. A loving wife to the late Kwo Ching Chu and devoted mother to three daughters, Chi Jean will be remembered for her kindness, passion for the arts, her effervescence, and boundless high spirits.

Born in Hubei, China, Chi Jean migrated to Taiwan as a young adult, where she later earned an associate degree from the Women's Teachers College in Taipei. She briefly taught arts to elementary school students before becoming a full-time homemaker. Throughout her life, Chi Jean nurtured a talent for art and drawing -- Chinese watercolor painting was one of her best-loved styles. Her curiosity and appreciation for beauty were reflected in frequent trips to museums and libraries, and she especially enjoyed tending her garden, particularly the plentiful rose bushes at her longtime home in Brookline, MA.

Chi Jean is survived by her brother, Chiway Hsiung; two of her three daughters, Cindy Porter and Ling Yu Chu; and granddaughters Annie Young, Chelsea Cannon, Mina von Huene, and Klara von Huene. Her youngest daughter, Ming Yu (Christine) Chu von Huene, passed away in 2016.

Burial is private. Donations in memory of Mrs. Chi Jean Chu may be sent to the Mystic Valley Elder Services nonprofit organization at 300 Commercial Street #19 in Malden, MA.