Obituary of Martha Y. Wang

Martha Y. Wang, 80, of Glen Rock, NJ passed away on Friday, January 24, 2020. An only child born and raised in Southern Taiwan, she lost her father at age 9 and her mother at age 15. Despite these hardships, she made the difficult decision to move by herself to Tapei where she attended the Blessed Imelda’s School and graduated with highest honors. She scored well enough on her entrance exams to attend National Chung Hsing University in Taichung, Taiwan where she met her husband, Kang-lu Wang and graduated with a B.S. in Nutrition. After graduating, she taught high school biology until she and her husband came to the United States to attend graduate school at Kansas State University. In 1969, she earned her M.S. in food science and she continued working while her husband completed his Ph.D. They eventually settled down in Glen Rock in 1977. She was a parishioner of St. Catharine RC Church in Glen Rock as well as the Fair Lawn Taiwanese Church. Martha was a principal board member of the Kang-lu Wang Memorial Foundation and an active member of the North American Taiwanese Women’s Association as well as various other Taiwanese organizations including the World United Formosans for Independence. An avid reader of the New York Times, she was a strong advocate for human rights, Taiwanese democracy and women’s rights. Prior to retiring in 2002, she was employed as a Senior Food Scientist with Nabisco Brands Inc. in Fair Lawn and East Hanover, NJ for 29 years. She is an inventor of 3 patents in the field of cereal science and the lead inventor of a process for making shredded potato products. In retirement, she enjoyed traveling widely, reading, and preparing meals for her granddaughters. Beloved wife of the late Kang-Lu Wang, Ph.D. Loving and devoted mother of Alvin N. Wang and wife Kelly Robbins. Cherished grandmother of Avery and Amelia Wang. The family will receive relatives and friends for memorial visitation at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, (vpfh.com), 257 Godwin Ave, Wyckoff, NJ from 1pm - 3pm on February 5th. A memorial mass will be held at St. Catharine’s Church, 905 Maple Ave, Glen Rock, NJ at 11am on February 6th with a luncheon to be held immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, 501(c)(3) donations in memory of Martha may be made to the Kang-lu Wang Memorial Foundation or to the North American Taiwanese American Women’s Association (www.natwa.com). In addition, mourners are encouraged to submit photos, videos, and stories to http://honoringmartha.com so that they may be preserved for Avery and Amelia know their grandmother better when they get older.