Rosaline King Hsu

Rosaline King Hsu passed away peacefully on September 21. 2019, in her 88th year, with her family by her side. She was the beloved and revered wife of Nelson N.C. Hsu for 62 years, with whom she shared 65 devoted years. She was a loving mother of her four children and their spouses, Vivian Hsu (Philip Goldberg), Diane Yung (James Yung), Lydia Hsu (Brian Mulcahey) and Nelson Hsu (Brenda Powell Hsu) and a doting grandmother of her six adored grandchildren, Lauren, Jordan, Kyle, Ryan, Cara and Brandon.

Rosaline was born in Shanghai, China and her family relocated to Hong Kong from Old Shanghai during the communist takeover of China in 1949. She was sent back to Shanghai by her mother to retrieve her father and brothers in the final exodus to ensure that they would depart to join the family in Hong Kong. One of 11 siblings, she was the first in her family to travel to the United States. Arriving alone by steamship to study, she graduated from Stephens College and Boston University. She met Nelson, the love of her life, in Boston, sharing many memorable times with other Chinese students in the area.

As an educator, she spent a lifetime teaching her children and grandchildren lessons on the love for family and the importance of an education, while instilling the values of honesty, dignity, integrity, hard work, diligence and faith in the human spirit. A wonderful gourmet, she cultivated a love of food and culture in her husband, children and grandchildren and curated feasts to share with family and friends. She relished the New England seasons and favored beautiful gardens, the harmony of music and movies, and the adventures of travel. A graceful and stylish lady, her love of life and her indomitable spirit were the foundation of her strength and courage in overcoming many challenges, including health concerns during the past 20 years.

Rosaline’s expressive personality, heartfelt smile, wry sense of humor and infectious laugh will be cherished for many years to come – together with her deep devotion to her family and all things chocolate.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Avenue, Needham, Massachusetts, on Monday, October 14, 2019 at 1:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Joslin Diabetes Center Asian American Diabetes Initiative https://aadi.joslin.org, the Alzheimer’s Association https://alz.org, the Museum of Chinese In America (MOCA) https://www.mocanyc.org, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Jimmy Fund for Women’s Cancers (Ovarian Cancer) https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org, or a charitable organization of your choice.

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