1946-2020
Cheng-Mong Lin, a long-time former resident of Weatherford, passed away early in the morning of July 4, 2020, in Cary, North Carolina.
Cheng-Mong, or C.M., as he liked to be called, was born December 29, 1946, in Qingdao, China, the youngest of eight children. In 1949, his family fled the Communist takeover of China and resettled in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. He graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in architecture in 1973 from National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan.
He and Debbie met in Tainan and were engaged even before he left for the United States to attend graduate school at the University of Oklahoma. At OU, he earned a master’s degree in regional and city planning in 1975. In the same year, C.M. and Debbie were married in Norman.
In 1976, he was hired by the Southwestern Oklahoma Development Authority (SWODA) in Burns Flat and settled his family in Weatherford. There, they raised Carol and Kim, and lived an idyllic and quiet life centered around home and family.
They saved as much as they could, and they were proud of their own hard work, paying off their house, and being able to provide for their daughters’ college educations. Carol graduated from the University of Chicago in 2000, and Kim graduated from Vanderbilt University 2003.
During the course of his 31-year career at SWODA, C.M. consulted with municipalities and county boards to maximize their land use, designed and planned industrial parks and recreational spaces, and assisted communities with grant writing for job creation throughout the Western Oklahoma region. His most impactful project was the implementation of a region-wide 911-system. Through his life’s work, he left his mark and improved the lives of many.
C.M. loved driving on wide open roads, and vacations were centered around visiting relatives in Texas and California. He planned elaborate road trips through many different parts of the Western United States and often spoke fondly of how big this country is. As an architect by training, he drew inspiration from nature and admired how different places are defined by structure and design. In 2007, C.M. and Debbie fulfilled a lifelong dream of visiting mainland China by joining a study tour organized by the University of Oklahoma. Having grown up in Taiwan but never visited China, both were overwhelmed when they set foot on the land of their forefathers.
The exciting itinerary included visiting ancient and traditional places as well as new and industrializedsites. From riding the Maglev bullet train from downtown Shanghai to visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing it was an adventure that they forever cherished.
Also in 2007, C.M. retired from SWODA and started a new position working for the Center of Economic and Business Development at SWOSU. He was excited for a new professional challenge and to eliminate his daily 90-minute commute.
Sadly, C.M. did not have much time to enjoy the “empty nest” years. As Debbie’s neurodegenerative disorder worsened, he took an early retirement in 2010 to care for and to leave their home to be closer to their daughters, then living in Michigan and Illinois.
After his wife’s passing in 2012, he stayed close to Kim, but as the years went on, his mental health declined. He never really recovered from losing Debbie and the life they built together. In late 2019, he had a series of hospitalizations due to a fall and a broken hip.
A difficult recovery and the isolation required by the pandemic left C.M. deeply depressed, and he began to refuse food. His health swiftly deteriorated. Early in the morning of July 4, 2020, he passed away. Pursuant to his wishes, he was cremated with private visitation July 9, 2020.
Survivors include: his two daughters, Carol Lin-Murphy and Kimberly Lin; his sisters, Gin-Lan Lin and Ching-Yun Lin; four grandchildren, Theodore Hamilton, age 6, Daphne Hamilton, age 3, Henry Hamilton, age 1, and Jack Murphy, age 4.
His beloved wife, Deborah Lin, passed away in 2012.
The family would love to hear from anyone who knew C.M. or Debbie, and can be reached at Carol’s email address: clin26y@gmail.com.