Obituary of Lin Wang

Lin Wang passed away peacefully on a Sunday afternoon, June 3, 2018, after a long battle against heart cancer. He was surrounded by family.

Before he was “Lin Wang,” he was 王琳, born in Huojia, Henan, China, under buttonwood trees and amid fertile rolling hills. As the eldest brother in a family of six, he took care of his younger brothers, Wang Jian, Wang Yao, and Wang Yong; then father: "Wang jujie 王聚杰” and mother "deng xiying 邓希英”

After earning his degree from the Henan Agricultural University in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, him and his wife, Linjing Xu, moved across the world to Manhattan, KS to earn a PhD at Kansas State University with $60 in his pocket.

While working in Muscatine, Iowa, he developed a love for tenderloins, pork rinds and small-town communities. As the leader of research and development at the Grain Processing Corporation and later Kent Group, he visited farms in Iowa and China, creating connections between the heartland and his homeland.

In the Iowa City area, he served as the Iowa City Chinese Association’s President after being a part of the organization for 17 years, helping to organize New Years celebrations and other cultural events around the city. He went out of his way to help newcomer immigrants from China, providing a home for international students and family friends alike, and he had aspirations to write guides for those who only spoke Mandarin and felt lost in U.S. airports, as he ran into many while traveling himself.

As someone who knew a little bit about everything and was called a “百科全书,” or an “encyclopedia,” Lin filled his home with nonfiction books and National Geographics and Readers Digests dating back to the early 90s. He loved starting conversations in lines and filling people’s bellies with his Chinese cuisine. He told stories of journeys abroad, fine dining and hilarious mishaps. He loved basketball and shouting at games on TV. He would want you to know about his friendship with Charles Barkley, the famed NBA player https://cbandme17.wixsite.com/mysite.

His kids are Mason and Shirley Wang, who just graduated from high school and college, respectively. His dog is Junior, who sat beside Lin everyday while he was sick at home.

Our visitation will be from 3-5 on Saturday, June 9, followed an hour-long memorial service at Gay and Ciha Funeral Home. Private family graveside services will be held at Oakland Cemetery.