WILLIAMSBURG — Fanny Shiao Yu Woo, 77, beloved wife, mother, educator and friend, peacefully passed away Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020, at home.
Fanny was born Nov. 8, 1943, in Fuzhou, China. As a young child, her family escaped to Taiwan during the Communist Revolution. There, she met her future husband of over 50 years, George, at church while they were both in junior high school. After college, they married and started a family.
In 1978, Fanny and George moved their young family to the United States in search of a better life. They moved often due to George’s employment in the oil industry, settling throughout the years in New Mexico, Texas, Beijing and West Virginia before finally retiring to Williamsburg. Throughout each stage of her journey, Fanny lovingly supported her husband and children. After each move, she quickly made sure they found a local church as well as the public library.
She was a talented seamstress and clothing designer, having created evening gowns for several Ms. New Mexico and Ms. Texas pageant contestants and winners. When her children started college, Fanny went back to school as well. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Texas Christian University and later went on to teach high school science and college chemistry.
Fanny is survived by her devoted husband, George; brother, Shiao Chi Cheng; sister, Tai Sheng Hsu; sons, Rayne (Winnie Yo) and Rhett (Deborah); grandchildren, Isaiah and Sonya; nephew, Ethan Cheng; nieces, Ya Ping (Chung Ming) Chien, Ju Chien (Randy) Berry, Ju-Pei (John) Hannon and Ju-Fen (Arvind) Krishnamurthy; and countless dear friends.
Her life was a living example of her favorite Bible verse, Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Share online condolences with the family at Nelsen Funeral Home.
