Emily Lin

Emily Lin (née Deng Sen) was a beloved mother, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, and cherished friend. She passed away peacefully on May 25th, 2025 at the age of 98 surrounded by loving family. Born in Chiayi, Taiwan on August 24th, 1927, Emily was the fourth oldest of seven children. In 1946, she wed Hong-Mao Lin with whom she raised five children. She moved to Taichung in 1989 where she worked for her nephew Frank Chen’s building company. In 1997, she moved to California to be with her two daughters, Alice and Shu-Lan. Her husband passed away in 2007 and she lived with great independence in her own apartment and made wonderful new friends.

Emily was a talented knitter, cook, and gardener. Her famous annual turnip rice cake (蘿蔔糕), zong zi (粽子) and steamed chicken (蒸黃雞) were coveted. She also knitted the most beautiful creations and enjoyed giving them as gifts until her arthritis made it too difficult to knit. She loved flowers and had a large collection of gorgeous orchids by her window that stayed in bloom for an uncanny time (the secret was watering them with teaspoons). She even carried a secret pair of scissors in the seat of her walker so she could snip an illicit rose from the building garden every few days.

With her sweet smile, gently worried concern, and easy laugh, people liked her instantly. Even though she could not speak English to the staff at her nursing home, they all loved her. Sometimes she would dance the cha cha with one of the male nurses. Until the end, she loved to spend time with her sister-in-law, May Lin, her best friend of over 80 years. They would sing Japanese songs from their youth and laugh and laugh. She loved nothing better than to have a crowd of friends and family around her.

Emily did not seek attention for herself but quietly supported those around her. Those of us she has left behind will miss her dearly. She is survived by her daughters, Shu-Lan Hsiao, Shu-Hwa Lin, Alice Lew, her sons Jie-Bin Lin and Yong-Ching Lin, her three sons-in-law, one daughter-in-law, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. We hope she is at peace, knitting next to her beautiful flowers.