Wilson Chen

Wilson S. Chen, 87, formerly of Cumru Township, passed away on December 2, 2019, at the Highlands of Wyomissing.

Beloved son, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend, he was the loving husband of Carolyn (Chandler) Chen, with whom he was thrown together in high school by the whims of alphabetical seating. For him, it was love at first sight. They were married for 63 years.

The youngest of seven children of George (Chin Ming Don) and Lee Shee Chen, Wilson was born in Canton, China in 1932, and emigrated during WWII to Dover, NJ. He was valedictorian at Dover High School in 1951, graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1955 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and earned a master’s degree in metallurgy and materials engineering from Lehigh University in 1980.

After college, Wilson worked at Eastman Kodak in Rochester.  He relocated to Reading in 1959 to work at Polymer Corporation, followed by a long and rewarding career at AT&T, retiring as Director of Quality of the Reading Works in 1989. Wilson actively and passionately served his church and community. A 60-year member of First Presbyterian Church, Reading, Wilson served as session member, deacon, elder, trustee, many decades as a choir member, and chef of the well-loved Chen Annual Chinese Dinner. In the 1970s, Wilson founded and coached the Cedar Top Cedars, a little league baseball team. He served as Cubmaster of Cub Scout Pack 241 and Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 265. Wilson served on the board of the Reading Musical Foundation.

He was an avid lifelong handball and racquetball player, trouncing men many years his junior, including sons and grandsons.

Also surviving are four children, Stuart (Cathy), Eric (Evelyne), Paul (Donna), and Ellen (Kevin); ten grandchildren, Andrew (Ashley), Charity (Brandon), Jordan, Katherine, Madison, Justin, Elizabeth (Spencer), Gabriel, Cecilia and Abigail; and three great-grandchildren, Kohen, Olivia, and Riley. Also surviving are two brothers, Irving, of Randolph, NJ, and Edward, of Chapel Hill, NC. Wilson is predeceased by one brother and three sisters.

Services will be held at Park Road Presbyterian Church, Wyomissing, Saturday, December 14 at 4 p.m., with visitation at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Park Road Presbyterian Church, 1045 North Park Road, Wyomissing, PA 19610.