Molley M. Chuang

Although her life began in the chaos of war-torn China, followed by the Communist takeover, Molley Muller (Wong) Chuang grew to be an overcomer. Born on December 9, 1939, Molley legally immigrated to the United States in the 50s, first living in Connellsville, PA, then in Pittsburgh, where she met and married Henry Ning Chuang, a marriage that lasted 59 years until her death on February 1, 2025. She passed peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, at Legacy Village in Xenia. She was a long-time resident of Kettering and Centerville, and a member of Centerville Community Church.

She is preceded in death by her parents Yee Gin Jeu and Wong Sue Chun, and brothers Wong Chung Ping “John” and Wong Yi Ping. She is survived by her sister Wong Sue Tsing; husband Henry and their children: Susan (Adrian Howe), Leah (Bob Rictor), Philip (Lanie); nine grandchildren: Samantha (Bill O'Hara), Nicole Roberts; Joshua (Ashley), Shaun, Nathaniel Rictor; Joshua, Haley, Miranda, Elisabeth Chuang; and two great-grandchildren: John, Joe O'Hara. 

Molley was a voracious learner, wanting to learn anything and everything while mastering the endeavors that most captured her passions. She was avidly interested in photography, capturing life and smiles within the thousands of photos she took. Business ventures did not intimidate her. Instead, she steeled herself to learn every facet of the cleaning, cosmetics, and healthcare products she sold. She enjoyed the businesses she represented and loyally championed herself, her teammates, and her customers.

Travel exhilarated Molley because it expanded her knowledge of people, places, and the cultures which made them unique. She often combined her family and business trips, traveling far and wide to Taiwan, China, Hawaii, California, D.C., Florida, Israel, and many stops in between, usually taking photos wherever she went to document her memories.

As eager as she was to learn other cultures, she was more impassioned to help people understand and engage in her Chinese culture. She was an influential and tireless member of the Dayton Association of Chinese Americans, spearheading many regional cultural events and celebrations. In the 1970s, she helped found the Dayton Chinese School to teach upcoming generations of Chinese-American children to appreciate and engage in the rich history of their ethnicity and traditions. As one of her former students said, "Molley was a part of our lives in the Asian community with dancing, Chinese school, and even the restaurant business.”

The one skill she loved and mastered perhaps more than any other, for which she will long be remembered, was her love of cooking Chinese food. Molley's culinary achievements as a gourmet Chinese chef included a cooking school, a catering company, a restaurant, and being featured as a guest chef on the TV cooking show, Yan Can Cook, hosted by the incredible Chinese chef Martin Yan. Among her family and friends, she was famous for her Chinese Barbeque Pork Steamed Buns, which graced the menus of many area restaurants.

Above all, Molley loved to help people and delighted in opportunities to show love and care for others. This was evidenced in her early education as an RN and continued throughout her last years. Her nurses nicknamed her “Nurse Molley” for how she cared for her fellow memory care residents. At her passing, many caretakers and nurses came by to express their condolences and pay their respects.

Her accomplishments were earned despite many challenges and overcome with the same tenacity she mustered when mastering a new subject, helping students experience the Chinese culture, and caring for those who were sick. No matter what, Molley would not be defeated. She exemplified perseverance and dedication to succeed against life's many challenges.

There are no memorial services planned at this time.