Zhengzheng Wu

Zhengzheng Wu, caring mother, beloved wife, fabulous friend, and God-fearing attorney, passed away on Saturday February 13, 2021.  She was battling with a collapsed trachea at the Intensive Care Unit of the East Alabama Medical Center in Auburn, Alabama. She was surrounded by close friends and caring doctors and nurses, who were trying everything they could to save her.

Zhengzheng was a beautiful soul, born on March 10, 1979 in the City of Zunyi, the economic and commercial epicenter of the Northern Guizhou Province of China.  She lost her parents, Mr. Chunhai Wu and Mrs. Changxiu Liu, to a tragic car accident at the age of 15.  However, she had an elder sister, Ying Ping (Nancy) Wu, and a younger sister, Lin Lin (Lilian) Wu, who loved her very much.  She grew up under the care of her uncle and aunt, Shijun Wu and Yuanfeng Peng.

Zhengzheng grew up in Zunyi and then moved to Beijing to attend China’s prestigious University of Political Science and Law (CUPL). In her spare time, she was an active member of the Taijiquan society, whose focus on healing, easing pain, and achieving harmony with the world aligned well with her precepts.  Despite many challenges, she managed to complete an advanced Magister Legum or Master of Laws (L.L.M.) degree and graduate in the upper percentile of her class.

In 2010, while visiting a Buddhist temple in Beijing, Zhengzheng met her future husband and scholarly prodigy, Dr. Lijun Xuan.  At that time, Lijun was finishing up his doctoral degree under the supervision of Professor Jie-Zhi Wu at Peking University. Together they took a trip with several of their friends to Nepal, where they attended an exhibition of Buddhist relics.  They fell in love and, after several months, they held a modest wedding ceremony that took place at Peking University on May 31, 2011.  Shortly thereafter, they traveled together to the Tibet, home of the Dalai Lama, who was kind enough to bless their union as well as their wedding rings.

Together, Zhengzheng and Lijun had two adorable children, Yanru Lucy and Joseph Baochen.  Lucy was born in Hong Kong on October 3, 2012, while her dad was working at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, right before they moved to the United States. Joseph was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on January 12, 2015, while his dad was working at the North Carolina State University.  Both children inherited their parents’ gentle demeanor, sweet voice, and deeply ingrained respect for others.

Until the incident of October 22, 2020, which claimed the precious life of her beloved husband, Zhengzheng lived with her family in their home on Monroe Drive in Auburn, Alabama.  Zhengzheng was a magnificent mother and wife. She had a natural way of helping others and was greatly appreciated by all of those who knew her.  She homeschooled her children during the pandemic and assisted many visitors who stayed at their house, often treating them as family members.  Being an avid gardener, she helped her husband grow produce that she enjoyed gathering and sharing lavishly with her friends and neighbors. 

Zhengzheng was generous, gentle, and kind. She was modest, self-effacing, soft-spoken, and caring, always seeking to make everyone around her comfortable. She did whatever she could to help those in need. She loved to give rides to friends and visitors, especially to those traveling to the airport. She absolutely adored the warm weather in Auburn.  She loved the sun and even enjoyed 90-degree weather. 

Zhengzheng was an accomplished conversationalist and a great listener. With her law degree, she always knew what specific questions to ask to get someone to start talking. She had many close friends and family extending from China to the United States. She enjoyed visiting with them, chatting with them, and inviting them over to dine with her family. She enjoyed cooking delicious meals and took great pride in preparing gourmet dinners. Her favorite saying was, “If I can, you can.”  After being released from the hospital in November 2020, she became determined to improve her English language proficiency. She studied day in and day out despite the pain and trauma that she suffered. As a result, both her verbal and written communication skills improved substantially.  She was a role model to her friends. 

Every year, Zhengzheng paid special attention to holidays and birthdays, which were her favorite times of the year.  She prepared meticulously, often months in advance, by purchasing very thoughtful gifts and special treats to reward those who have entered her life.  Life is all about “showing gratitude,” she believed.  She was very thankful for how far she has come along and very grateful for all of the precious elements of her life: her husband, her children, her friends, and her neighbors.  She was very proud of her husband’s scientific achievements.  To her, happiness is derived from cultivating and showing gratitude, the greatest virtue of all, towards others. She also believed in helping the poor and needy.  She often relied on her modest income to assist her relatives, underprivileged children, and schools for low-income students, who received a small but regular monthly stipend from her. She often surprised her friends with unforgettable gifts when she showed up at their doors around their birthdays or during the holiday season.  Even the tellers at her bank were pleasantly surprised during the holiday season each time she showed up with gifts in her hands to tell them how thankful she was for the great customer service that they provided.  She and her husband were very thankful for all the little things that life offered.

Zhengzheng would have been 42 years old on March 10, 2021. She is preceded in death by her father, Chunhai Wu (1994), her mother, Changxiu Liu (1994), and her husband, Dr. Lijun Xuan (2020); she is survived by her children, Yanru Lucy Xuan (8) and Joseph Baochen Xuan (6); her sisters, Ying Ping (Nancy) Wu and Lin Lin (Lilian) Wu; her mother-in-law, Furong Li; her brother-in-law, Lide Xuan; and her sister-in-law, Lixia Xuan. 

Zhengzheng was the best mother, wife, and friend anyone could have. She was always supportive, never asking for anything in return, and never saying anything unfavorable about those around her.  However, she could not remain idle in the face of cruelty, or when egregious and unethical persons defamed her beloved husband.  She had to ask them to stop.  She was a good-hearted spirit in a cruel world and will be very dearly missed by all of those who knew her.

Throughout her life, Zhengzheng held a strong belief in God and was an active member of her community with her friend Mary Liu, who admired her tremendously.  She took very good care of her children, friends, and neighbors, who miss her so very much.  She has rejoined her darling husband that she loved so immensely, one day before Valentine’s Day, as she knew her dear Lijun could not continue without her.

The funeral service will be held at the chapel of Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home and Crematory (1500 Frederick Rd, Opelika, AL 36801) on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. with Fr. Michael Farmer from Saint Michael’s Church officiating.  Deep appreciation and gratitude are extended to: her caring neighbors, dear friends, faithful family members and former colleagues for their visits, prayers and support. Some of these include her close friends, Mary Liu, Susan Pan, Feng Xu, Li Huang, Honghe Wang, and Teresa Lau Jenkins; her children’s foster parents, Melissa and Matthew Hargrove; her community leaders, Dr. Chengmeng Wang, Dr. Ziqin Feng, and Jun (Julia) Zhu; her husband’s former teacher, Professor Jie-Zhi Wu from Peking University; former friends Dr. Feng Mao, Dr. Yantao Yang, and Dr. Ri-Kui Zhang from Peking University; former friends from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC); her husband’s former advisor Professor Hong Luo and his research group at North Carolina State University; her husband’s former advisor Professor Kun Xu and his research group at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Special thanks to Dr. Lixiang Luo, Dr. Chuanjin Wang, Dr. Xiadong Liu, Dr. Yidong Xia, Dr. Aditya Pandare, Dr. Jialin Lou and visiting scholars Dr. Yang Xiaoquan and Dr. Jian Cheng.

Special thanks are also owed to Attorney Jeff Xie, for representing Zhengzheng and her family gratuitously; the Auburn University Chinese Professional Association (AUCPA); and the Department of Human Resources, Mindy Pate, Brooklyn Greenleaf, Latoya Adair, Beth Smith, Lisa Kelley, Heather Lee, Micah Melnick, and Dr. Blake Melnick, who provided relief for her children.  Special thanks to Ann Shore, David Hennessey, and Dr. George Flowers at Auburn University; India Eaves of the Alabama Crime Victim’s Commission; Mr. Keith from the Social Security Office; Alexandria (Alex) Wood of the District Attorney’s Office; Lieutenant Michael Creighton and Detective Levi Donnelly of the Auburn Police Division; Dr. Nelson and Dr. Roberts at the East Alabama Medical Center; Dr. Peter Jiang at the Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital, for his kind assistance; thank you to both Libo and Lixia Sun, Zhengzheng’s wonderful neighbors, who were among the first responders. Last but not least, we thank Kurt and Kate Haley, Jeremy and Shannon Wiggins, Roy and Elizabeth Hartfield, and Joe and Inna Majdalani, for their tremendous support during these difficult times.

In lieu of flowers, a GoFundMe account is available at http://gf.me/u/y67awy. The funds are intended to support the surviving children.