Shiping “Sam” Zong, born in 1949 in Shanghai, China, passed away on 12/11/2024 in Hinsdale, Illinois, USA. He was a quirky, extremely intelligent man, and liked to joke and debate with anyone and everyone. He was the oldest of four- 3 boys and a girl. To this day, people in the neighborhood remember the antics of the Zong brothers. In school, he was great at anything he put his mind to. He was a Morse Code champion in Shanghai and once intercepted a secret communication with breaking news of a government coup in Southeast Asia. He suffered through 10 years of hard labor in the Chinese countryside during the Cultural Revolution. One of his jobs was to teach local kids, who learned to bring mushrooms instead of apples for Teacher Zong. He, like many of his generation, felt those were years of lost knowledge, and dedicated himself to making up for the missed educational opportunities. Once back in Shanghai, he coached a successful high school math team. He worked at Shanghai Medical School, where he met and married Minhua. They had a daughter, whom he named after Connie Chung, as he had taught himself English by watching the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite and Connie Chung. In 1988, he came to the United States, starting studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. He eventually earned his Ph.D. in psychometrics from the UW, working closely with the medical education office and where he made many lifelong friends. At night, he worked as a dishwasher at the Santa Fe Cafe to earn extra money in order to bring his wife and daughter to Seattle. He would always tell his daughter, no matter what profession you go into, from dishwasher to doctor, do your best. He was a wonderful dad, and later a wonderful grandfather, always beaming with pride for all of the grandkids’ achievements. After retirement, he enjoyed reading, travel, photography, and even taught himself a little piano and guitar. He renewed his love for Chinese Tang poems, and displayed his nature photography, including photos of his homegrown flowers, at the Lisle Library in 2018. He joined the Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church and was baptized in 2022, though mobility issues limited his ability to attend in person. He passed just days short of his 75th birthday, having spent half his life living in China and half in the US. He is survived by his wife, Minhua, daughter Connie and her husband Christian, their children Henri (9) and Amélie (6), as well as his brothers Zong Yongping and Zong Gang, and sister Zong Fang, and their families in Shanghai, China.

Informal visitation and wake will be held from 4-7pm Chicago Time on December 22, 2024 at Cappetta West Suburban Funeral Home at 4920 Main Street, Downers Grove, Illinois. Formal memorial services following cremation will be held at Wheaton Chinese Alliance Church at 7:30pm Chicago Time on January 3, 2025. His final remains will be laid to rest at Lisle Cemetery.