Eva Song Tang
– Eva Song Tang was born on March 5, 1931 in Chandler, AZ to Jew She and Kwan Youn Show Song, and passed away on January 28, 2023 in Phoenix, AZ. She died the way she lived – peacefully and surrounded by family.
Eva was the sixth of eight children in the Song family, which emigrated from southern China in the early 1900s. They opened a grocery store in Chandler and traded with Hispanics and Native Americans. As the family and business grew, the Songs moved to Scottsdale, AZ in 1928. They were the only Chinese family in town and the children attended a segregated school. Life wasn’t easy for them, but Eva’s life experiences undoubtedly cultivated her desire to help others and use education to overcome poverty and discrimination.
Eva obtained a degree in Education from Arizona State University. In the early 1950s, she began her career as a beloved primary elementary school teacher and shortly thereafter married Jimmy Tang. While teaching full-time and raising her children, Eva later earned a Master of Education from ASU, and ultimately spent nearly 30 years educating children in the Madison School District in Phoenix. After her formal retirement, Eva taught English as a second language to recent immigrants, helping them make their way in a new country. She also volunteered at the Phoenix Public Library.
Eva helped raise generations of Tangs (human and animal) in a warm and loving home that she cultivated, providing comfort food and care in abundance. She lived by example and overcame discrimination in both her personal and professional life. She was independent, had a keen sense of humor and her humility and composure belied her fierce intellect and fortitude.
To her grandchildren and great grandchildren, she was known as Ho-Ho. She loved family, cooking and eating food, laughter, pets, gardening, yoga, beer foam, and good bargains. She is preceded in death by her husband, Jimmy Tang, her parents and 7 siblings. She leaves behind her children, Diane, Elaine (Dean Sanderson), and David, grandchildren, Abby St. Germain, James Tang-Mills, Alex Frank, Alicia Tang-Mills, Emily Frank and Miles Tang and great grandchildren, Oliver, Daisy, Chase, Easton, Isla and Jax.
Memorial contributions may be made to Desert Mission at desertmission.com.
An informal memorial will be held at Messinger Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Rd., Scottsdale, AZ on Sunday, February 19th from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.