Dila Wang

July 27, 1931 - June 1, 2020

Dila immigrated to the United States in the late 50’s where she later met and married her husband, Shyh Wang, in November of 1962 in Salinas California. Dila was very proud of her husband, who was a professor on the UC Berkeley campus. Dila and Shyh settled in El Cerrito where they bought a piece of property in 1968 and built their dream home. The Wang’s would live together in this home for most of their 29 years of marriage.

Dila enjoyed being a homemaker. She drove and picked up her husband from work every day. Looked forward to hosting his many students, colleagues and friends from UC Berkeley. She prided herself on her Prime Rib and Chocolate cake. She worked side-by-side with her husband helping him with the typing of grants, proposals and editing articles and manuscripts. She enjoyed traveling and spending time living abroad during his sabbaticals from teaching and made many lifelong friends and memories.

When Dila’s husband passed in 1992 from Liver cancer it devastated her. Dila made it her life’s mission to make sure that his memory and accomplishments lived on. Dila was able to fulfill this dream during her lifetime by creating an endowment fund called the Shyh and Dila Wang Opportunities Fund to support research, outreach and projects at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. In recognition of this gift and her husband’s contributions and service, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab named the Computational Research and Theory building in memory of her late husband. Shyh Wang Hall was officially dedicated in 2015. The building and the fund will live on in perpetuity thanks to Dila’s persistence and dedication to making her dream come true. This was her life’s greatest accomplishment.

Among Dila’s hobbies were playing the piano, sewing, dabbling in the stock market and gardening. Dila worked hard to live a healthy lifestyle, eating only organic mostly vegetarian foods, made a conscious effort to eliminate plastics and recycle. She transitioned her home to solar, never took medicine and relied on exercise, herbs and supplements to keep her healthy. She kept informed on science and technologies and made smart choices investing in companies that were in line with what she believed.

A fall in her home in August 2019 that resulted in a broken femur and hip caused her months of health issues. She was living in an assisted living home in Albany where she peacefully passed in her sleep.

Dila is remembered fondly by family and friends. We hope you will take a moment to share your memories.

Ping Tang (Dila) Wang born in Shanghai Peoples Republic of China on July 27, 1931 to Chai Sha Tang (F) and Kam Nan Hsur (M) passed away peacefully on June 1, 2020 at Belmont Village in Albany California. Dila immigrated to the United States in the late 50’s where she later met and marriedContinue Reading

See Condolences

I was a graduate student under Late Prof. Wang in the early 70s. Dila was kind enough to invite the students and family in the Wang group to her El Cerrito home to build fellowship among them. We were unfortunate to lose Prof. Wang so early but Dila has played an anchor for us all to stay connected to our sweet memories from the Wang student days. Soonhee and I enjoyed your visit in Seoul. We will all miss you and are grateful to you, Dila. Rest in peace.

I was a former undergraduate student of Professor Shyh Wang in the College of Engineering and over the past few decades had the pleasure to get to know him and Dila beyond academic settings. After untimely passing of Professor Shyh Wang in 1992, Dila became relentlessly determined to keep her husband's distinguished legacy alive. She ultimately achieved that goal by creating magnificent endowments in the College of Engineering and at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, supporting future generation of students. Dila was truly a remarkable, humble, and unassuming human being. Her devotion to UC Berkeley and her unselfish contributions that she made in memory of her late husband should serve as a model for future generations to the best one has to offer. May her memory be a blessing.

Dila and I became friends in the late 90’s. She always treated me like her daughter and wanted me to be part of any big events in her life. I missed the time we spent together trying different types of cuisines and shopping at Berkeley Bowls, El Cerrito Natural Grocery, or Trader Joe’s. I missed hearing her asking me when I will visit her again. God bless you, Dila, and may you rest in peace.

As a former graduate student of her late husband, Professor Shyy Wang, I have known known Dila for over 40 years. Over the last several years I especially got to interact and know her a bit better over the many lunches we shared. She was a remarkably resilient person who displayed unimaginable determination. She will be fondly remembered by all who shared some time with her and may she Rest In Peace.

Please accept our deepest condolences for your family's loss.