Obituary for Robert Pei-Pen Chang
Robert Pei-Pen Chang passed away peacefully on June 5, 2024, in Winter Springs, Florida. He was 92 years old.
Robert was born on May 29, 1932, in Shanghai, China. He grew up during the latter days of the KMT rule and moved to Taipei when the CCP took over China in 1949, where he graduated from the prestigious National Taiwan University. Later, he emigrated to the United States to pursue additional studies but after a summer working at the famous Trader Vic’s in Washington, D.C, ended up on an entrepreneurial path as a restauranteur in Baltimore and later in Southern California.
A trailblazer, Robert was the proud owner of Jade East Restaurant in Towson, Maryland, the first upscale Asian restaurant in Towson, bringing authentic and refined Chinese and Polynesian cuisine to the area. The city of Towson bestowed an award upon him for his contributions to the vitalization of downtown Towson and the Jade East ‘tiki mug’ has become a sought-after collectors’ item of that era.
He was also an avid fisherman and found immense joy and tranquility in the simple pleasure of fishing, a pastime that provided a peaceful respite from the demands of life. He was quite delighted to be featured in a local Baltimore newspaper for his 32lb rockfish caught in the nearby Chesapeake Bay.
Robert was a talented linguist, speaking several languages and dialects at a high level. And he enjoyed socializing -- in his later years, he organized the Central Florida Evergreen Seniors Club to create a community and cultivate a sense of belonging for Asians living in the area.
He is survived by his daughters Betsy Chang Ha, Judy CdeBaca, Sally Amoruso, and J. Lisa Chang, his step-son Andrew Leventis, his sons-in-law Steve Ha, Mark CdeBaca, Paul Amoruso and Tom Sigel, his step-daughter-in-law Sandy Leventis, his grandchildren Stephanie, Brittany, Marissa, Sebastian, Isabella, Milo and Kiana, his great-grandchild Olive, his sisters Peggy, Belle and Pauline, his ex-wife Sachiko Chang, and his wife Elsie Chang. His legacy is marked by a shared love (some might say obsession) of food, travel and traversing diverse cultures.
A private family service will be held to honor Robert's memory. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to NAMI https://www.nami.org or AAPI Women Lead https://aapiwl.org in Robert’s name.
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