Susan Chow Kwok passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on April 28, 2020.  She will be remembered for her kindness, humility, and compassion.  She was born in Macau on October 8, 1943 and was the second oldest of 6 children.  She received a nursing diploma in Australia where she met and fell in love with her husband Patrick and married in 1965. Their first daughter, Patti, was born in 1967. They moved to San Francisco where she worked at Chinese Hospital for 5 years. She loved to get fresh vegetables and food in Chinatown after her shifts, and would come home to make multi-course authentic Chinese dishes for Patrick, Patti, and their new son Ken. They moved from San Francisco to El Cerrito where Susan worked at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley.  During this time, they welcomed 4 more girls, Karen, Claudia, Candice and Stacey. She also obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and Public Health.

In 1983, the family of 8 moved to the South Bay and lived in San José, Saratoga, and eventually settled in Cupertino where Patrick and Susan have lived for nearly 25 years. Susan worked at O'Connor Hospital in San José, then Kaiser Permanente Santa Teresa until 2014 when she retired after 40 years of nursing.

In her retirement, Susan continued to devote countless hours to volunteering with organizations including Self Help for the Elderly, American Cancer Society, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara, and the Cupertino Health and Wellness Center.  She always went above and beyond with those she visited, developing countless friendships. She even wrote letters on behalf of her patients especially during the holiday season when families were unable to visit, bringing candies during special holidays.

Susan was a devoted Catholic and an active member of St. Joseph of Cupertino for 37 years. In addition to serving as a Eucharistic minister at mass, she brought holy communion to patients and the sick at multiple locations including local convalescent and retirement homes and Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara. She was also involved in the parish's annual Lunar New Year Celebration.

Susan never stopped challenging herself. In her retirement, she learned to swim, to play golf and the piano, and to speak fluent Spanish to name a few activities. She was also fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin and often utilized her multi-lingual skills to give health advice to immigrants new to the Cupertino area. She also enjoyed working out at the Northwest YMCA and running in local 5k races such as the Cupertino Big Bunny Run, in which she won several times in her age category. She enjoyed daily walks in her neighborhood and one of her favorite trails was along Stevens Creek in Cupertino, walking hand and hand with Patrick.

Susan also took time to enjoy life through her travels around the world with Patrick, visiting China, Japan, Vietnam, South Africa, India, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom. They rode camels and elephants, held snakes and exotic birds, and enjoyed delicacies from around the world. For their 50 ^th wedding anniversary, they cruised with their 28-member family to Alaska and also took everyone to Spain and Greece in 2019. She climbed mountains including the challenging Yellow and Jade Mountains in China, and Machu Picchu in addition to the China Great Wall. Next year, her family will fulfill her final bucket list destination by traveling to Scotland and Ireland in her honor.

Susan lived a full life and was devoted to helping others by God's teachings.  She never wanted recognition and provided service out of the goodness of her heart.  She touched many lives and will never be forgotten.  Most importantly, she was a devoted wife and mother who loved her family unconditionally. She was gone too soon and will be greatly missed.

Susan's love will live on with her husband of 55 years Patrick, and their children Patti and her husband Robert, Ken and his wife Christina, Karen and her husband Derek, Claudia and her husband Eric, Candice and her husband Brandon, and Stacey along with their 14 grandchildren, Melanie, Steven, Lauren, Emily, Hannah, Andrew, Kevin, Laura, Allison, Marissa, Maya, Amelia, Sophia and Maximus.

In lieu of flowers, anyone wishing to remember Susan may do so by donating to the "St. Joseph of Cupertino School Susan Kwok Memorial Fund," a fund set up to recognize students for volunteerism.

A celebration of life will be held in the coming months when gatherings are permitted.