Dr. Ching-Feng “John” Chang
Thursday, May 16, 1946
Date of Death:
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Age:
79 years old
Dr. Ching-Feng “John” Chang
Dr. Ching-Feng “John” Chang (張清鋒), 79, of Houston, TX passed away on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at home with family in Rochester, MN. John was born on May 16, 1946, in Changhua, Taiwan to his parents Jin Xiu Tai and Tian Zhou Chang. He was the second oldest of five siblings.
After earning his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Tunghai University in 1968, he immigrated to the United States for graduate school. He received his M.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1971 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University in 1976. He went on to earn an MBA from Ohio University in 1979 and taught chemical engineering courses in his spare time as an Adjunct Professor at Cleveland State University. In 1974, John married Shun-Tang “Susan” Chang, and the couple settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where they raised three daughters: Connie, Patricia, and Cathleen.
John worked for Union Carbide and subsequently GrafTech, for 38 years. A world-renowned expert on carbon materials, he traveled extensively – to Japan, South Africa, Europe, China, and Brazil – and was honored as a Senior Corporate Fellow by Graftech (1995-2014). In 2011, he and his colleagues received an R&D 100 Award for one of his many patents. After several years of consulting, John retired in 2014 and moved to Houston, TX.
John loved classical and country music, traveling, reading, good food, and giving back through charity work. He will be remembered as a devoted husband, loving father, and cherished friend and colleague.
He is survived by his wife, three daughters, four grandchildren, two younger sisters, and a younger brother.
A memorial service for Dr. Chang will be held on Sunday, October 19th, 2025, in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be designated to support research at Mayo Clinic (https://give.mayoclinic.org/) or to the Tzu Chi Foundation (https://donate.tzuchi.us/).
Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com
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The family of Dr. Ching-Feng “John” Chang has received the following condolences.
姨丈活在我們心中
再也沒有病痛
願他與菩薩修行
阿彌陀佛!
無限 哀思!
願此功德種善根,
迴向清鋒同學
早登淨土!離癌得樂!
南無阿彌陀佛!
南無藥師琉璃光如來!
南無觀世音菩薩摩訶薩!
清鋒順堂,慈濟大愛;
回饋故里,圓圓滿滿!
順堂姊,驚聞清鋒兄仙逝,甚感哀痛. 他於我亦師亦友,對我照顧極大, 他為人做事的風範也令我十分敬佩. 而今天人永隔, 只能在心中思念感恩. 因我人現在台灣,不克親身向妳及家人致意, 謹在此請妳節哀保重.
祈願清鋒同學早登淨土,
離癌得樂,福慧增長!
南無阿彌陀佛!
南無藥師琉璃光如來!
南無觀世音菩薩摩訶薩!
清峰是一位非常wonderful 的丈夫, 也是一位非常有愛心的父親.
記得 Carolyn 結婚時你們來南加參加婚禮,Patricia 腿有毛病,不能走路,清峰背著她走來走去. 那個場面我永遠不會忘記!
你知道這麼善良又富有愛心的人一定去了天堂,在那裡永生,過著最
你要好好保重,清峰才不會發愁.
I am saddened by the passing of your dad. I have a good memory of him.
John was my first group leader when I joined Union Carbide in 1982. John mentored me through the years. He was a wonderful mentor for the new Process Research Group with several new ChE PhD's.
Later on, John's team guided the Graphite Specialty Business in developing Superfine Graphite and in growing business for semiconductor applications.
John and 顺堂大嫂 were also very supportive of my growing family while we were in Cleveland.
張大哥,一路好走到西方極樂世界 !
Dear Shuntang and family,
Please accept our deepest condolences about Ching Feng’s passing. We were his fellow graduate students in Princeton and had reconnected in Houston after many years. His wisdom and gentlemanly kindness had prevailed! We will miss him dearly and will remember him fondly. Please do take care and will keep in touch.
kim and Richard Yeh
I’m really sorry for your loss. 我知道張大哥有菩薩陪伴,請節哀。未能送張大哥一程,好遺憾。
心理很難過,又失去一位良師益友,敬請妳節哀順變,
昨天才看到敦嘉師姐傳來的短訊,驚聞惡耗,十分難過!
Dr. Ching Feng Chang was a dear friend for life. We were high school classmates in Changhua, Taiwan, for three unforgettable years. After graduation, we went to different universities for our bachelor’s degrees, and later both came to the United States to pursue our Ph.D. studies and eventually settled here. Like many immigrants of our generation, we worked hard, built our families, and placed great hopes in our children.
Although distance separated us, our friendship endured. Over the past fifty years, we met several times, keeping in touch until even the tradition of sending annual Christmas cards faded away. In 2019, I decided to reconnect with him after many years. After several tries—and with the help of the internet—I finally found the right Connie Chang, who confirmed that her father was indeed my old friend, Ching Feng.
That November, my wife and I drove from Kansas to Houston and spent a week with them. Seeing him again after so many years was deeply moving. He was still the same gentle, thoughtful person I remembered from high school—speaking softly, sharing stories of his accomplished career, and expressing deep pride in his family. We spent long hours talking, reminiscing, and visiting local sights together. It felt as if time had never passed. We promised to visit again in the following years.
Then the COVID pandemic arrived, and travel became impossible. Our wives continued to exchange messages, but sadly, we never had the chance to meet again. It breaks our hearts to learn of his passing. As we grow older, we are reminded that life offers no certainties—only the precious memories we hold of good friends.
Ching Feng was a devoted husband, a loving father, and a loyal friend to all who had the privilege of knowing him. We share in your sorrow and offer our deepest condolences. He will always remain in our hearts and memories.
With sympathy and affection,
Dr. Chii-Dong Lin and Shu-Mei Lin
Manhattan, Kansas 10/18/2025
John Chang was a good friend and mentor. When I first moved to Ohio to work at Union Carbide’s Parma Technical Center in 1981, he was a welcoming and encouraging presence. Over the years he was someone to look up to as a source of wisdom and inspiration. I will always be grateful to him for his guidance and friendship, not only towards me but my whole family. We will miss his warm smile and spirit, and we send our sincerest condolences to Susan, Connie, Patricia, Cathy, and his entire family.
親愛的姨丈於10月9日安詳辭世,享年七十九歲。他一生勤勉踏實
姨丈今早已經離苦得樂往生西方淨土,還請阿姨節哀、保重身體。人
今天的此刻,
我再一次深切体会“永在怀念中”“
“爱是永不止息”的情怀和真谛。
脑海里不断浮现,曾经有过的美好画面和回忆。
我爱你们。
愿上帝赐福于你们全家。
Although saddened by his passing I have only good memories. Not being Technical person I always appreciated John taking time to explain a technical point to me in a way I could understand , no easy task.
My best memory is when we drove together from the Tech center to West Virginia University for a meeting. The most memorable part for me is when we went to a Chinese restaurant in Morgantown and your father ordered, in Chinese ,one of the best dinners I have ever had. A true gentleman.
John was a wonderful man to work with for the 17 years that I was at the Parma Tech Center.
Dankie dat jy laat weet. Jammer om te hoor. Hy was briljant het nie geskroom om sy kennis te deel nie As jy met sy familie praat sê asb die Suid Anrikaners stuur hulle innige meegevoel.
John was my manager for many years. He had such a deep knowledge of the graphite industry and was a mentor to all of us younger scientists. I still consult for the old West Virginia plant, and every once in a while his name still comes up, as in someone wishes they could talk to him about some issue.
唉呀!老楊當時很稱讚這位同學呢!
我們又失去了一位老同學 - 化工系張清鋒。 10/9 在Minnesota。除了不捨,也為他祈福及回向。
張清鋒是Phi Tau Phi會員<每個學院只有兩個名額<又是東海傑出校友
My deepest condolences to the family. John hired me into GrafTech in 1997 and was a huge influence on my life and career as a boss, mentor and friend. His contributions to the field of Carbon and Graphite science are immeasurable. I will always remember his kindness and thoughtfulness.
julian Norley
I worked with Dr Ching Feng Chang, John as I knew him, for more than 30 years. He was always a wise counsellor, a mentor, and a friend to me, both in the workplace and in life. We travelled many places around the world together, sometimes in stressful situations, but he was always courteous and polite, a true gentleman. And wherever we went there always seemed to be someone who knew him, or knew of his reputation and his work.
More than his academic achievements, his scholarship, and his technical leadership, he was most proud of his daughters, and relished any opportunity to talk about them.
He was an exceptional person, and he will be missed.
Dear Dr. Ching-Feng (John) Chang,
I was your Princeton University roommate and classmate. We had many years of fine time together and all that still in my memory. I wishing you peace and comfort in the years ahead. I will miss you (Lau Chang) very much. I am also sending with love and remembrance to your family.
Sincerely yours,
Hong-Hsiang (Harry) Kuo & Maggie Kuo
During the four years in Tung Hai university, He has set a very high bar for each of us. for academy achievement. He will take the lead and we follow. Not Surprisingly he went to Princeton University and got PhD degree. He then got MBA from Ohio University. He has accomplished so much during his stay with Union Carbide. He has published many papers to show his results of his works that benefit the entire industry.
Our Tunghai 1968 class is a close knitted group, Often we find opportunities to meet in US, Taiwan, Mainland, Thailand, Singapore.
We will forever miss the top of our class.
We will miss him and 顺堂 forever. We will find time