In Memory of Jesse Cheng

Jesse Cheng, 98, passed away peacefully on April 3rd, 2026 in his home in Myrtle Beach, SC. Jesse was born March 28, 1928 in Shanghai, China. Jesse was raised in Chinese aristocracy with private chefs and butlers. His privileged world was soon shattered as the Japanese over took and pillaged the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing. Jesse’s parents divorced, but their little family of four persevered through uncertain times. Jesse studied at Saint John’s University, a China’s premier Christian university. Christian universities like Saint Johns came under attack during the Mao Revolution, and Jesse abandoned his studies and fled China to the United States. He finished his senior year and graduated with a BA in economics from Manchester College in Indiana.

After graduation, Jesse joined his family in the outskirts of New York City where he studied for his MBA at NYU. At this point, Jesse met a smart attractive Chinese coed who shared his interest in mathematics and competitive bridge. They married and moved to the Washington DC suburbs to raise their Chinese American brood. Jesse was a numbers guy and worked as a statistician for the federal government his entire career serving the Department of Commerce, Department of Transportation, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Government Accountability Office.

In retirement, Jesse traveled the world playing competitive bridge with his wife, Helen. Jesse found his new passion, playing the stock market and watching financial news. In the last year, Jesse’s wife of 70 years had stage 4 cancer. Jesse cared for her until the end, planning and cooking her meals, and holding hands for hours. About 3 months after Helen passed, Jesse was admitted to the hospital. After one night in a hospital bed, Jesse signed an AMA, went home to his house, lied in his bed, closed his eyes, and passed peacefully.

Jesse is survived by his sons, Robert; David; and Michael; and their grandchildren; Ryan, Joshua, Anthony, Michelle, Colette, Theodore, and Jesse Jr. A memorial service will be held in Myrtle Beach, SC at 1313 Royal Devon Dr, Myrtle Beach SC, on June 20, 2026 at 4:00 pm.

This was not generated by AI.