May Tang

May Seetao Tang was born on January 15, 1935 in the village of Hoy Ping in Guangzhou, China. She was the 5th of 6 children. At the age of 4, May’s father passed away, leaving her second eldest brother to help care for the family. In 1950, she and her family moved to Taiwan, where her brother was relocated for work. In Taiwan, she attended Catholic school. Growing up in China and Taiwan, May became a fluent speaker of Toisanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

At the age of 23, family members arranged a marriage between May and Hoover, who was from Phoenix, AZ. They were married on November 22, 1958 in Taiwan, after exchanging only pictures and letter, then finally meeting for the very first time just a few days before their wedding.

After their wedding and a brief stay in Taiwan, Hoover brought May to the United States, settling in Pittsburgh, PA. In October 1959, their eldest son Gary was born, followed by second son, Thomas, in 1961, and youngest son, Kevin, in 1965.

In 1967, the family moved to Phoenix, AZ, then to Los Angeles, CA in 1969. May was a devoted wife and mother. She was also a wonderful cook, cooking many memorable meals for the large extended Tang family. She was a homemaker and later became a seamstress, often working through long hours and uncomfortable conditions.

May accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and enjoyed worship and fellowship with her circle of friends at First Chinese Baptist Church in Chinatown.

The happiest moments of her life were, undoubtedly, time spent with babies. May loved babies! Before she became a grandmother, May babysat several baby girls, all of whom, with their parents, remained in contact with her for over 30 years because of her devotion to them.

Between 1991 and 2002, May and Hoover became proud grandparents to 7 grandsons. May was a devoted Ngen-Ngen who babysat her grandsons through the course of 16 years. We are all indebted to Ngen-Ngen for providing the best care possible for our boys.

In retirement, she and Hoover enjoyed traveling to China, Alaska, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Phoenix, and many sites within Calif., with family and friends.

In 2008, May and Hoover had a memorable 50th Anniversary celebration with family and extended families. They were again blessed with being able to celebrate their 60th anniversary in 2018.

May was a quiet, gentle woman, who enjoyed and lived a simple, uncomplicated life. In her later years, family gatherings and celebrations, daily walks with Hoover, time at church and time with friends brought her great happiness and fulfillment.

May, although a petite woman, had strong inner strength, surviving several major health challenges from 2017-2020 which included a back fracture, a rare form of leukemia, a broken wrist, repeated treatments for a rare form of jawbone infection, and a broken hip requiring total hip replacement surgery. This past August, she was hospitalized twice for a herniated disc and pneumonia.

We are grateful to our gracious God, for allowing May to spend her final days with Hoover, resting comfortably at home, and with her family close by. Most importantly, she was free of pain.

On September 24, just as gently and quietly as she lived, May gently and quietly passed away.

May is survived by her husband of 62 years, Hoover, her son Gary and wife Wendy, grandsons Scott and Ryan, her son Thomas and wife Diane, grandsons Christopher and Matthew, her son Kevin and wife Lisa, grandsons Terrance and his wife Mina, grandsons Kyle, and Justin.

Last but not least, May is also survived by her first great-grandchild, 4 months old Alexis, daughter of Terrance and Mina, whom she was able to meet and hold just 3 weeks prior to her passing.

May lived a blessed life and will be greatly missed.