Wynne Wu, founder of BHSEC’s Chinese language program, passed away in her sleep on April 23rd after an eight year struggle with stage IV, or metastatic, breast cancer. Hundreds of family members, friends, coworkers, and students gathered on Sunday, May 2 for a walk through Prospect Park and a memorial service at Congregation Beth Elohim. Ms. Wu leaves her husband Steven and daughter Helen, who was born this past December.

Ms. Wynne Wen-Ren Wu was born in 1975 in Queens and raised on the Lower East Side with her older brother. After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1993, she studied piano performance and East Asian studies at Oberlin College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Wu then studied Music Education at New York University, where she received her master’s degree, and taught at the Little Red Schoolhouse in Greenwich Village before coming to BHSEC in 2002.


The memorial was a celebration of life; according to Ms. Wu’s wishes, none of the guests wore black. The service included a photo montage of Ms. Wu’s life, a video clip from her wedding to Steven Horowitz in 2007, a poem composed by her father, and music ranging from John Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves” to classical pieces. Principal Ray Peterson, Dr. David Clark and Year I Dominic Veconi spoke on behalf of the BHSEC community; Year IIs Gwen Weston and Katharine Glanbock sang a song that Ms. Wu encouraged them to submit to a Chinese karaoke competition.

Ms. Wu’s memorial concluded with the mourner’s Kaddish from her husband’s Jewish tradition and incense offerings from her family’s Chinese tradition. A potluck followed the service, including, as Ms. Wu requested, “a favorite dish of each participant.” Ms. Wu had a love for cooking, swimming, running, knitting, singing, piano and travel.

The service was a reflection of Wynne Wu’s passions and the profound influence she had on the people around her. “She was the first voice I heard from BHSEC,” said Chinese teacher Fang Fu, “She was sort of like a founding mother of this program. This program was expanded in her hands.” When Ms. Fu took over as the Introduction to Chinese teacher, she realized how skillfully Ms. Wu managed a 9th grade classroom: “I realized how hard it is…she did all of these different jobs without complaining.”

Ms. Wu’s students also appreciate what a supportive, creative, and dedicated teacher she was. On a Facebook group in memory of Ms, Wu, Silvia Galis-Menendez, who graduated from BHSEC in 2009, wrote, “I fell in love with Chinese language and culture because of her passion and knowledge. Even after I graduated from BHSEC, Ms. Wu still cared about how I was doing. She touched so many lives and inspired so many people.” Year II Abigail Savitch-Lew added, “Wu lao shi was an incredibly supportive teacher and was the teacher who encouraged me and prepared me to go to China, a life changing experience.”

In honor of Ms. Wu’s contribution to the BHSEC community, the Wynne Wu Fund was established to support BHSEC students’ Chinese language study. The Wynne Wu Fund supplements the Wu Travel Scholarship for BHSEC’s China Exchange and provides funding for BHSEC students to participate in summer Chinese language programs.