Sarah Hsu

Sarah Hsu

Beloved Mother and Grandmother, 81  

Mrs. Sarah (nee Wu) Hsu, 81, of Nutley, passed away on Sunday, January 10, 2021 at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway. There will be a graveside gathering at the East Ridgelawn Cemetery, 255 Main Avenue, Clifton on Friday, January 15 at 9:15 a.m.

Sarah Hsu was born on July 5, 1939 in Taiwan to Ching-Shui and Chiang Lan Wu. She grew up in the capital city of Taipei with her parents, 2 sisters, and 1 brother. After completing her secondary education, due to her excellent grades in math, Sarah was offered the opportunity to come to the United States and continue her studies.  She was welcomed by her host family, the Newtons, who took her in as part of their family. She received a full scholarship to pursue her college degree at Mary Hardin-Baylor College in Belton, TX, where she graduated with a BA in 1970. She was the only one in her family to go to college. After graduating college, she moved to New York where she met her future husband, George, who was in New York pursuing his MBA at City University of New York.  George happened to come with her friend to help her move into her apartment and they took an instant liking to each other. They began writing back and forth, building a strong friendship. One day while George was helping Sarah with her tax return, his patience made her realize that he was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The day George proposed and took her to Tiffany’s to pick out an engagement ring was a dream come true for Sarah. They married at New York City Hall on September 11, 1971.

In 1968, Sarah began working as a computer room supervisor at a company called Plumbing Industry Bd. Shortly after she married, Sarah joined her husband as an accountant at a pharmaceutical company named American Cyanamid, where they both loyally worked until retirement. Even after retirement, she continued working at her company’s request as a consultant.

They began a family in 1972, with the birth of their son Robert, and in 1974 with the birth of their daughter, Janet.  Sarah was a loving mother who made sure her children excelled at school. While working a full-time job, she always made sure to stay involved in her children’s school activities, often serving as chaperone on various class trips and attending her son’s baseball games.  Her children fondly remember spending time together as a family every weekend, doing things like biking, swimming, or going into NY to watch a Broadway show.

Sarah enjoyed football, which she learned to watch while at college. When her company would run fantasy football pools, everyone was surprised that she knew football and would participate in the pools.  She and her husband were big Giants fan and when former Giants coach Bill Parcells became coach of the Jets, they also became Jet fans. After retirement, Sarah and her husband also enjoyed following the stock market.

She is survived by her 2 children, her son, Robert Hsu and her daughter, Janet Hsu. Her daughter, Janet, married Hakop Kazandjian, and in 1999 she became a grandmother, with the birth of her daughter’s children, Shant (1999), Zaven (2001), Alec (2003), and Noah (2018).   She was a loving grandmother who always looked forward to visits with them.  Her grandchildren fondly remember spending time with her playing cars, having dinner together, watching movies or listening to her favorite musician, André Rieu, and sitting together to talk about sports and teach her about soccer.

A loving wife, devoted mother, proud grandmother, and loyal hard worker, Sarah Hsu touched the hearts of everyone she met and will be missed.

For everyone who is unable to attend the graveside gathering, a zoom meeting is available for you to view.  The information is set forth below:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83564020647?pwd=Zit4cXRpSFY1U3RlR09XcjRHZFFLZz09

Meeting ID: 835 6402 0647
Passcode: 806056

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