Obituary of Emma R. Xu

Emma Rong Xu (徐蓉), 55, passed away on Tuesday, September 17, 2019 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, after a five-month-long battle with a rare form of lung cancer.             

She was born on June 20, 1964 in the city of Leshan, in Sichuan, China. The oldest of four, she left home at an early age to attend school, and graduated from college with a degree in business. While working in Sichuan, she met her future husband Qingming “Jimmy” Wang (王庆明) and they married on November 16, 1988.               

In 1992, she followed her husband to the United States to pursue a better life for herself and her family. After two years living in Wisconsin, she moved to New Jersey where she would spend the rest of her life. After moving to NJ, she devoted her energies to raising her two sons, Robert and Jonathan, while also obtaining a Master’s in Computer Science from Monmouth University and volunteering as an administrator for the Monmouth HuaXia Chinese school. On January 14, 2012, after 24 years of marriage, her husband Qingming passed away from neck cancer. After this tragedy, Emma worked harder than ever to provide for her family. She accomplished her long-time goal of obtaining a real-estate license and started working at Heritage House Sotheby's International Realty in Holmdel. Combining her singular charm and grace with her love of interior decorating and skills in negotiation, she found great satisfaction in helping clients buy and sell their homes. Through her hard work and dedication, she was able to see her oldest son through medical school, and had just sent her youngest off to college when her life was tragically cut short by her sudden and unexpected illness.              

In her free time, she enjoyed gardening, cooking, singing Karaoke, and Chinese cultural dance. Her traditional Sichuan dishes were the first to go in any potluck, and to her sons there was nothing more evocative of home than her chicken broth and rice porridge. Emma made friends easily with her sociable and outgoing personality, and her passing leaves a void in many hearts.              

Emma is preceded in death by her husband, Qingming. She is survived by her two sons, Robert and Jonathan, as well as her parents Xu Nai Zhong and Zhao Huai Zh­i and her siblings Chloe, David, and Jack. 

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Flowers are enjoyed and appreciated. As an alternative, please consider donating to the Prevent Cancer Foundation (preventcancer.org) on Emma’s behalf.