James was born in Keelung, Taiwan on April 29th, 1951. His father, Mr. Kingfin Hu, was the deputy bureau chief of the Keelung Port Authority. His mother, Yuscien Woo, worked at a bank while raising four children. James was the third among his siblings. He was a diligent, self-disciplined, and responsible young man.
James obtained a bachelor’s degree in physics from National Chinhua University in 1973. After two years of military service, he went to the University of Texas at Austin to pursue a graduate degree in physics. In 1976 he returned to Taiwan to marry Joan, and together they continued their studies in Austin. In 1977 he changed his major from physics to electrical engineering and graduated in 1978. Afterwards, he was recruited by National Semiconductor and moved to the Bay Area. In 1984, James joined the founding team at Atmel and worked there until retirement in 2011.
James believed into the Lord Jesus in his freshman year of college. His grew to fervently love the church and his brothers and sisters in Christ. After retirement, he participated in one year of the Middle Age Training in Taiwan – a Bible and church service school – where he gained deeper knowledge of God and was trained to preach the gospel. At the same time, he was able to accompany his mother in Taipei. In 2013 James and his wife joined the first term of a study tour in Israel where they lived in Jerusalem for eight weeks, visited Biblically significant landmarks, and contacted university students for the gospel.
In 2014, James and Joan, visited relatives in Taiwan and Mainland China. Upon returning in July, James developed a cough. After visiting his daughter in Virginia and attending an elders training in Toronto, he felt ill. The following day, he visited the doctor and had an x-ray taken. Tiny dots were shown, and the doctor suspected it was tuberculosis. A subsequent CT scan revealed a lump at the top of the right lung. In November a biopsy confirmed that it was non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. In December a brain MRI scan revealed that the cancer had spread to the brain. Upon finding out that there were no advanced targeted therapies for his cancer subtype, he enrolled in a Phase III clinical trial for immunotherapy in January 2015. After two treatments, James generated an autoimmune response in the liver; the doctor discontinued treatment and prescribed high potency hydrocortisone. In February, James commenced conventional treatment of chemotherapy. He underwent a total of ten treatments. At the beginning, the treatments helped him. James was able to attend the Lord’s Day meeting from May to November. On November 17, James experienced a stroke caused by hemorrhaging in the brain.
The cancer continued to weaken James’s body, causing some degree of depression and spiritual bondage. Through the unceasing prayers of the church, relatives, and friends, James and his family persevered. The most precious experience for James transpired during the last leg of his earthly journey. Seven to ten days before entering a semi-coma, James saw visions of Jesus and the saints day and night and was constantly calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Many times he called out to the Lord, “I’m coming.” He was looking forward to join the Lord.
On Wednesday, February 17, 2016 at 2:10 a.m. brother James Hu entered into the bosom of the Lord. He was not in pain. His wife and children were by his side.
James is survived by his wife, Joan; daughter and son-in-law, Cynthia and John; son, Paul; grandchildren, Aletheia and Krisis; mother, Yuscien in Taiwan; older sister, Evelyn in Taiwan; and younger sister, Janet in Canada.
James was a good father, good husband, good son, good brother, good coworker, and good shepherd. He was easy to get along with, and brought sunshine to his companions. He enjoyed fine dining with his friends. He was humorous and quick witted, and his presence was often accompanied with laughter. He will be remembered for the smile that he wore consistently.