Hsiang Ming Chen

Chen, Hsiang Ming
NISKAYUNA - Hsiang Ming Chen, "Ming," loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and celebrator of life, was a dreamer who sought to make the world a better place through his mechanical engineering inventions. Ming died very peacefully on Friday, January 30, 2026, surrounded by his most beloved family. Ming always reminded his family to seek joy in life; be kind; treat all people with respect; have fun and laugh often; build friendships and community that share values; recognize the hard work of being an immigrant and naturalized citizen in this Promised Land; and never take for granted the freedom and opportunities we have. He taught us to love, cherish, and celebrate family, friends, and everyone's accomplishments.
He often said, "Life may taste like bitter melons. But if you know how to cook them, they would taste good. I have learned how to cook them since I was a kid."
Ming was born in Hunan, China, and later moved to Guangzhou (Canton). At age eight, his family fled to Taiwan during the Communist Revolution and had to rebuild their lives from nothing. He was unable to attend school while he worked with his father to help support the family by doing various jobs. He longed to learn, and when he was finally allowed to go to school, he excelled - learning as much as he could, as fast as he could - with the dream that education would help create a better life for himself and his family. In junior high school, his analytical mind became curious about circles and analytical geometry, and about how the wheels and connecting rods of railroad engines worked. He decided then to focus his studies on becoming an engineer. He graduated from National Taiwan University, the number one university in Taiwan, in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. After working as an engineer in a cement factory in northern Taiwan, focusing on mechanical vibration theory, he grew thirsty for more knowledge and engineering opportunities - opportunities he could not find in a small town. He began exploring the United States, a land of opportunity.
A young, smart, fearless Ming came to the U.S., in January 1968, the Promised Land, with a loan from generous friends. His plane landed in San Francisco, and he bought a Greyhound bus ticket to a state university in the small town of Rolla, Mo., where he was accepted into graduate mechanical engineering school. In the summer of 1968, he followed several Chinese graduate students to Chicago and worked in a factory as a summer job. At the end of the summer, a classmate from Taiwan at RPI encouraged Ming to transfer to N.Y., and he was accepted into the Ph.D. program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).
He paused his Ph.D. program when his second daughter was born so he could work full-time to support his family. He began as an experimental engineer at Mechanical Technology Inc. (MTI), and was later hired into his dream role as an analytical mechanical engineer, where he analyzed rotor and bearing dynamics.
Over a decade later, he returned to RPI to complete his PhD in Mechanical Engineering while continuing to work full time. His doctoral thesis focused on experimental rotors supported by active magnetic bearings. Ming helped impact the world through his innovative designs of actively controlled magnetic bearings for noise-isolation applications for the Navy, as well as small maglev blood pumps as ventricular assist devices for the National Institutes of Health, among many other applications. He published numerous professional articles and presented as an expert in his field at international conferences worldwide.
Upon completing his Ph.D. in 1986, he brought his family - now with three children - back to Taiwan to reunite with the friends who had loaned him money to come to the U.S., repay them, share his accomplishments and family, and thank them for their support that had made his dreams possible nearly two decades earlier.
While working long days to make financial ends meet for his wife and three children, he cherished his role as a father. He always made time for his children, taking them to Chinese school, skiing, camping, canoeing, biking, hiking, and participating in cultural and nature activities with friends and families from the Chinese Community Center, where he was an active member and helped grow its size and impact. In addition to supporting his immediate family, he sent money home each month to support his parents and siblings in Taiwan. As the eldest son of five siblings, he helped support his parents and put several siblings through college, continuing to support his family throughout his life.
Ming was a generous and supportive husband, father, grandfather, and brother. He was known by all as a beautiful and caring soul who brought joy, laughter, and support to his family and community. From his constant jokes and Chinese proverbs - shared with his wife, children, and grandchildren even before they could understand them - to his larger-than-life smiles, laughter, and hugs, Ming filled every room with warmth. He rarely spent money on himself, always giving to his family and community. He wore the same pair of sneakers for over two decades and still felt he did not need new ones, even when his children insisted he deserved to focus on himself after all he had given. He was a devoted husband for over 56 years, dedicated to his wife - making her laugh, supporting her interests, and partnering with her in caring for the family, which he valued above all else. He never told his children that money was scarce, wanting them to grow up with the joy and opportunities he once dreamed of when he came to this Promised Land.
He accomplished - and exceeded - his dreams of a better life for himself and his family, and we will miss him greatly. But this is not goodbye; it is until we meet him again.
A memorial service will be held on February 14, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to noon, at The Dufresne & Cavanaugh Funeral Home, 149 Old Loudon Rd., Latham. For more information or to express a message of condolence, please visit www.dufresneandcavanaugh.com