Memorial Service for Dr. Frank Liu

神投007_James Wu

球友

打球

徐志诚

谢谢

大家

李元

羽球

美篇

赢球

羽毛球队

Place: Ciavarelli Funeral Home

Location: 951 East Butler Pike, Ambler, PA 19002

Time: visitation 2:00 - 2:30 pm, service 2:30 – 3:30 pm, January 29, 2022

Video: Memorial service facility at Ciavarelli Funeral Home

Obituary of Dr. Frank Liu

Dr. Guanghan (Frank) Liu was a caring husband, father, brother, and friend, as well as a distinguished scientist. He passed away from a hemorrhagic stroke at age of 56, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Frank was born the son of farmers in Fujian, China, who cultivated in him diligence and resilience. It was there that he developed the warmth, sincerity, and humility that characterized his lifelong personality. As a gifted, hardworking student throughout his primary and secondary education, at age 15, he was admitted to East China Normal University in Shanghai, where he studied mathematics. In 1988, Frank began his graduate study in statistics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After receiving his PhD in Statistics, he completed post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University.

Since 1995, he has worked at Merck & Co., building an outstanding and successful career. As a Distinguished Scientist, Frank was widely regarded for his expertise in biostatistics, innate skill and perseverance in solving complex challenges, and passion for mentoring others. Frank made significant contributions to a number of key vaccine projects, including the development and licensure of RotaTeq and VAXELIS. He also co-led the scientific/technical issues committee and provided expert consultation to numerous projects. Frank was respected as a world-renowned, prominent statistician in the industry; he was an elected Fellow of American Statistical Association. In particular, he is an expert in statistical methods for handling missing data, longitudinal data, and general clinical trial methodology in drug development. Over the course of his career, Frank authored more than 60 scientific publications and delivered over 55 presentations and short courses. Outside of work, Frank loved traveling with his family, enjoyed photography and badminton, and actively participated in community service.

Frank is survived by his loving wife, son, and daughter; he will be greatly missed by the family and friends.

Flower arrangement from family, friends and co-workers around the World

Gift arrangement

Guest check-in

Visitation

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Photographer: Cai Bing and James Wu

ZOOM meeting hosters: Heng Zhou, Ying Zhang

Live streaming was presented through zoom meeting

Video: Opening remarks - Zak Huang

Drinking from the waters of sorrow

sustains a different kind of life.

This river is hidden

from the rest of the world.

Tears drip from my chin and fall into

an endless flow of liquid love.

This river sparkles with beauty.

Good morning, family members, relatives, friends, colleagues, and guests. And, greetings to those who participate through livestream elsewhere in the US, China, and other parts of the world. Welcome. Thank you for joining us today to honor Dr. Frank Liu, LIU Guanghan, and celebrate his life. Now, we gather here with full hearts and numb minds. There are no words to express those profound feelings that surrounds each of us.

• Sadness for ourselves, because this amazing man is no longer here to show us how a truly meaningful, impactful life can be.

• Gratefulness from the bottom of our hearts, that his life of inspiration was part of this world for 56 years to care, to teach, and to love.

• Joy for Frank, as living with limitations for him is now complete; he continues where there are other places for him to visit, goals to embrace, and clouds to touch.

Now, please rise and stand silently for a moment of reflection and respect. Thank you. You may sit down now.

We come to stand with Frank's family to bear witness to your loss. You were faithful and vigilant guardians of his life. The road was long and sometimes demanding; you never gave up and, in return, were blessed by his presence for much more than anyone could have dreamed. The hole in the world where Frank used to be will feel especially large and daunting. The journey of grief is long, and no one should have to walk it alone. Friends and guests, I ask you to commit yourself to being present to Frank's family in the coming days, weeks, and months as they find ways to move on without him.

An honest man here lies at rest,

The friend of man, the friend of truth,

The friend of age, and guide of youth:

Few hearts like his, with virtue warm'd,

Few heads with knowledge so inform'd;

If there's another world, he lives in bliss;

If there is none, he made the best of this.

In today's memorial service, we will have friends, colleagues, classmate, and family members to share special memories and pay tribute to Frank. With that, I would like to give the floor to Dr. Ivan Chan, a long-time friend and colleague of Frank's. Frank's brother, Mr. LIU JinSheng, who is in China has also written a tearful eulogy to mourn the loss. Please visit the website listed on the service program to read his eulogy as well as tributes from others.

Video: Eulogy by Ivan Chan

Dear colleagues and friends, I know that we are all gathered here today with heavy hearts. Chen Fang (as we called Fang in Mandarin), Stephen and Allison, we are all here for you. It is my great honor to share some loving memories of Frank and to celebrate his incredible life full of integrity, humility, sincerity, and most of all, love. Frank was a kind and wonderful person, a caring husband, father, brother, and a great friend. He was also a brilliant statistician who made many significant contributions to drug and vaccine development as well as the statistical community. I have known Frank and his family since 1995 when we both joined Merck's statistics department. And boy, we had a lot in common –

• For starters, we were both born in Fujian, a southern province of China

• We both had a passion for science and innovation, and we would often talk about new

statistical methods and how to improve drug development.

• And we both just started our families and lived in apartments close to one another. I

remember Stephen was about 2 years old and my daughter Iris was just a few months old. Since their birthdates are only two days apart, we often celebrated their birthdays together.

As you may know, Frank was a prodigy. At age 15, he was admitted to the East China Normal University in Shanghai, where he studied mathematics. He even earned a stipend there, and he would save 1/3 of his stipend and send to his mom back home. His dedication, persistence for excellence, and humble personality made him easily the best student in his class. Upon graduation, he came to the United States, attended UCLA for his PhD in Statistics, and then completed his post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University.

Frank had a distinguished career and made a profound impact on drug development. Frank and I worked closely on many vaccine projects at Merck, and I always treasured his opinions. He loved sharing his insights with others and was the best consultant and mentor for many others in the department. Frank and I had many conversations about our careers and our lives. He was someone who always wanted to use his knowledge and skills to help others. One of Frank's most significant contributions to the field of statistics is a novel method he developed for analyzing longitudinal data under a baseline constraint. His method leads to better efficiency than the standard analysis approach in randomized trials. We used the method in analyzing immune responses in many vaccine trials. It was later used by others in the industry. Equally impressive, Frank was an expert in clinical trial designs and statistical analysis of missing data, among other things. Over his career, he published more than 60 papers in scientific journals.

In addition, Frank made substantial contributions to the statistics profession by volunteering his time for service and by giving presentations and short courses. Over the last few years, he helped his alma mater publish a book translating statistical technical terms into Chinese. He was also frequently invited to share his research findings at national and international meetings. Just last month, I invited Frank to teach a short course at the Deming Conference on Applied Statistics. His clear presentation, articulation of complex technical issues, and insightful comments were hallmarks of who he was. Because of his leadership and outstanding scientific contributions, Frank was well recognized in the global statistical community. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the International Chinese Statistical Association; he was inducted as Fellow of the American Statistical Association. This was a very prestigious recognition given each year to no more than 1/3 of a percent of the ASA members. Frank, even though you are no longer with us in this physical world, I know your legacy and passion for scientific innovation will continue to live on through those who have learned so much from you.

For those fortunate to know Frank outside of statistics, you would know that he liked travel. Over the years, our two families have traveled to many places, like Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Vienna, Japan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, just to name a few. Our family has been so lucky to travel alongside Frank and his family. When my son, Calvin, was about 8 months old, we traveled to Maine together for a vacation.

We ate many lobsters during that trip. Because my wife and I are slow eaters, Frank would deliberately finish his meals quickly and help us hold Calvin so that we could finish our meals. We later found out that he really wasn't a fast eater either. His kindness exceeded any of our imaginations. When traveling, Frank liked to carry his big Sony camera to take high resolution pictures. I remember two years ago when we were at the Grand Canyon during the Christmas holiday, he stood by the canyon in sub-zero degrees, waiting patiently for sunrise. We all huddled up to stay warm...He took so many pictures even with just his bare hands. I remember asking Frank, ‘are you cold’? He replied with a smile, ‘No, I am fine’. This just showed how much he loved photography and capturing beautiful moments for his family and friends to enjoy. A few minutes later, I found out that his mittens were actually on Chen Fang's hands. Now, that's the kind of person who Frank was. Being his close friend, I also learn a lot about Frank's humble character at home. Although he was not the head chef, he was the best sous chef to his wife. He would wash the veggies and prepare the ingredients for her. After the meal, he was always the first person to clean the dishes. Allison said that her dad was always the fastest at washing dishes. I know Chen Fang cooks very delicious food for their family, but Frank made the best Yogurt for her. He also liked baking sweet potatoes, which are Chen Fang's favorite food. Frank loved his children. He and Chen Fang raised two amazing kids, Stephen and Allison, from cute little babies to successful young adults. And there is more. When we moved to Chicago in 2016, my son was still in college near Philly. Frank treated my son like his own. He helped him move in and out of college countless times and welcomed him and his college friends over for thanksgiving dinners. Frank also drove 12 hours with his family to visit us in Chicago during Christmas break. When they arrived, our house finally felt like our home. Frank, even though you are no longer with us, our friendship remains. we will always remember the wonderful times we enjoyed while traveling together. I look forward to many more family vacations with Stephen, Allison, and Chen Fang. Frank, I know that you will be looking over your family from heaven with a smile as we continue to create more memories and capture them with your big Sony camera. Frank, you will forever live in our hearts!

Video: speech by Lisa Lupinacci, Merck BARDS Management

I am honored to be asked to speak today, and I wanted to say a few words about Frank’s impact on BARDS and Merck as a statistician, friend, and mentor. Frank is a world-renown statistician. For many years, he has given presentations and short courses across the globe and has collaborated with fellow statisticians in many other companies, as well as those in government and academic settings. Frank is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. Frank was a prolific researcher and publisher. Though there are a few statistical topics Frank was particularly passionate about, Frank’s lengthy CV highlights his proficiency in a wide variety of topics, and it’s Frank’s combination of deep and broad statistical expertise that allowed him to have such an enormous impact on his profession and on drug development.

In a few moments, I know we will have a few speakers who will speak to Frank’s work in the area of vaccine development at Merck. Before working on vaccines, though, Frank made significant contributions to several important neuroscience programs, particularly substance p for depression and rofecoxib for Alzheimer’s disease. To only highlight those programs where Frank was a project statistician, however, would be to severely underestimate his legacy. Frank literally touched dozens of Merck projects and mentored and influenced hundreds of colleagues. Frank could give technically sound and practical advice on almost any statistical challenge on any drug or vaccine program. Most recently, his advice was used in the development of both our exciting new HIV drugs and our new COVID drug, molnupiravir. Frank was also responsible for ensuring the technical excellence of our department as a co-chair of ELSTIC and RRT. ELSTIC, as many know, is our overarching statistical methodology committee that tasks smaller subcommittees with evaluating a myriad of methods for specific, commonly encountered statistical problems in drug development and making recommendations on which methods to use in which situations. RRT, our Rapid Response Team, is a group put together by Jared Lunceford and Frank several years ago that provides rapid, real-time advice to teams who need to tackle statistical challenges on their project in a hurry. This team has turned out to be massively effective and impactful.

Despite the impressive volume of WHAT Frank did, I think the thing we will miss most of all is how he did it. Frank was calm, kind, humble and helpful. When you went to Frank for advice, he never made you feel unintelligent just because your understanding of a particular statistical topic was not as deep as his. He made you feel respected, supported, and grateful you approached him. If you needed advice in a time crunch, he would sometimes jump in to run simulations for you and help you evaluate solutions. His advice and recommendations were always clear and favored the simple over the complex when possible. This style of Frank’s extended far beyond Merck’s walls. I’ve had several meetings in the past 2 weeks with statisticians outside Merck with whom I’m working on projects, and they have all asked about Frank and expressed their deep sorrow that they will not be able to collaborate with him in the future. The loss of Frank has left a large hole in our department and in our hearts. Going forward, we will work very hard to continue his legacy by adopting his style and making time to do for each other what Frank did for us.

Video: speech by Jon Hartzel, Frank's manager at Merck
　　 My name is Jonathan Hartzel and I was fortunate enough to work with Frank in Late Development Statistics in support of the Vaccine Therapeutic Area for over 15 years and organizationally as his manager for the last 5 years. While I may have been listed on paper as his manager, I can say that I benefited much more from Frank in that relationship than he ever did from me. You will be hearing
shortly from two of his Clinical colleagues on the impact he made in the Rotateq and Vaxelis vaccine programs, but I wanted to highlight some of the other numerous ways he supported the Vaccine TA. For a number of years, Frank was a manager of his own group providing direct oversight and guidance for the development of Zostavax, Vaqta, and a heat-inactivated zoster vaccine. But outside of his managerial duties, Frank was always our own personal statistical consultant for all of our vaccine programs. His long history in vaccines along with his broad statistical knowledge was an incredible asset to our TA. Frank was a core reviewer for the Vaccine DRC where he ensured the designs and statistical approaches for all of our vaccine programs were sound. He loved to help find solutions to statistical problems and did so with humility. He always made it feel like you where jointly finding the solution even if he was driving you there. He was a true statistical researcher at heart and was such an asset for assisting and encouraging research with other statisticians. He was especially good at connecting with new hires (often right out of school) and helping them to
continue in their research. On the personal side, Frank was my sounding board. Whenever I had a statistical or strategy question, I knew I could take it to him regardless of how dumb it was. If he was shocked by them,
he never let it show in his face and always provided great advice. In our 1:1 meetings we often flew through the “work” parts quickly, and then just talked about our families. Visits to colleges, how classes are going, how the pandemic is impacting school. Since my children were younger, he gave me a glimpse of what was to come. Throughout those conversations it was always clear how proud he was of his children’s successes. I will greatly miss those conversations and all of the guidance
that Frank has provided me. One of the tasks as a manager is to collect feedback on your direct reports from their colleagues. I thought I would finish with a few responses and phrases that I received over the years regarding Frank:
• endless patience and calm demeanor
• ability to explain statistical concepts clearly to non-statisticians
• Frank has a welcoming and non-intimidating way about him, not often found in people of his
intelligence.
• The respect he has earned make him a powerful and trusted ally when discussing methodologies
outside of BARDS.
• He is a true and unique asset to the department.
• an inspiring example for all of us Video: speech by Andy Lee, Vaccines Clinical Research, Merck Frank and I worked together on many vaccines over the years, but the longest was PR5I, the pediatric combination vaccine now known as Vaxelis. We traveled to some cool places for PR5I, including Oslo, Norway, and Brussels, Belgium to meet the rapporteurs for our European filing, and Frank was there with me, offering his steady, quiet and effective support.

But Frank and I also would travel every other month for years and years, to a slightly run-down Holiday Inn tucked behind a Burger King, off of route 100 outside of Allentown, for joint meetings with our collaborators from Sanofi Pasteur. I have wondered if teams of statisticians from Sanofi and Merck had met up and calculated that this Holiday Inn was statistically the best spot for the two companies to meet, in terms of lowest mean distance traveled from home, and neither company having to travel further than the other! Because that would be as good an explanation as any other for why we always chose to meet in that peculiar place. But while many of us would grumble about the sleep lost to make it there, having to drive through sleet and snow, or the bad coffee, I don’t remember Frank complaining. In fact, I find it hard to remember Frank ever complaining about anything! He was just happy and content.

I am totally shocked and deeply saddened that someone in the prime years of their life like Frank, could be taken from us by a sudden stroke. I'm not surprised to find out from all of you about Frank's incredible intelligence, accomplished background, and achievements in statistical scholarship. I'm also not surprised to hear of Frank's devotion and caring for his wife and two children. Whenever I've needed Frank's help, he has been there unfailingly. Even when I've brought up crazy ideas for Tables or analyses, he would rarely say no, but guide me and the team to the right conclusion, in his kind and gentle way. In Chinese, Guang Han Fei Chang He Ai, Ke Qing, meaning he is a gentle and approachable soul, always ready to help. I will miss him, greatly.

Video: speech by Natalie Banniettis, Merck clinician

Thank you for the opportunity to share a few words about our dear colleague Frank. My name is Natalie Banniettis and I have been working in vaccines clinical research at Merck for the last three and a half years with Frank. I remember when I first saw Frank's name, it was as a reviewer on one of the protocols I was working on when I started as a new clinical director. It was evident by his thoughtful comments that this was a man of science who had profound understanding of statistical principles, which was far beyond this simple pediatrician here. I remember quickly finding my old Statistics and Medicine book by Theodore Colton and frantically looking up the terminology and concepts Frank was raising. This was a tremendous learning experience for me. Then I actually met Frank in person at the Upper Gwynedd campus. Being the new person, I was nervous and I'll never forget his soothing smile, always smiling from across the table at me. He had a way of making one feel at ease even when dissecting one's protocol design. Fast forward three years and here I found myself on one of the very last teams where Frank was the lead statistician. I couldn't believe my luck. Bless Frank's patience because when I joined I was full of questions. And once again Frank, with his calming, soothing ways, obliged and calmly took the time to explain things to me. And then I remember around two months ago, he had complimented my work over email, and I just felt so proud. I thought to myself: Mission accomplished. The V 260 team will not be the same without him. He is our foundation, a great mentor, a brilliant mind and a calming force. We miss him very much. May he rest in peace.

Video: speech by Liji Shen, ECNU classmate

Many of you here met Frank Liu through work at Merck. I was honored to meet him years ago as his college classmate in 1980. Among one hundred students in the Department of Mathematics, East China Normal University, Frank was one of the few who left his small hometown and travelled hundreds of miles to Shanghai at 15 years old. Frank is not tall; he was even shorter then. When he and his roommates went out to buy clothes, he would shop in the junior's section. But other than his stature, nothing else about him was teenage. He got up at 6:30 in the morning every day, in summer or winter. He had a routine. Go to the track field to exercise, then cafeteria for breakfast. Many times, he brought back breakfast for his roommates who were still fast asleep in bed. No one was late to their 8am classes thanks to him. He was self-disciplined, dependable, and kind, just as what knew him at Merck.

In college, he volunteered to be the class mailman. He kept hold of our ONLY mailbox key and would walk 15 minutes every day after dinner to open the class's shared mailbox. He distributed mail for FOUR years, without missing a day or a letter. He was so popular among the classmates, because he connected them with their family when we had no mobile phones or landlines at the dormitory. He always got the job done.

Frank graduated at the top of the class and was accepted by the graduate school of the same university to study mathematical statistics. He was one of the few graduate students who taught himself a programming language and started to use computers in research when there were only a few desktops in the department in the 1980s. His Master’s degree advisor, Professor Liang, is still so proud of Frank. Together, they published a paper on the fitness of kurtosis estimates for a normal distribution. This was the first statistical research paper Frank authored. He was 24.

Frank was very accomplished, but we still liked teasing him, telling him he needed to grow taller quickly to have a girlfriend. He proved we were wrong again and got married earlier than most of us. When I stopped by at Los Angles on the trip to university of Illinois from China, Frank, then studies at UCLA, took me to Universal Studio. We had a great time.

In 2010, Bill Wang and Frank led an initiative to standardize Chinese statistical terminologies in biology research and clinical trials in collaboration with Frank's alumni University. After many revisions, their work was finalized by the Drug Information Association working group and published in the Quantitative Science Forum website. Most Frank's college and graduate classmates and professors cannot attend this memorial service in person. They wanted me to tell the stories that you do not know and to express how much they miss Frank.

Video: speech by Bowen Kang, SAS Club

In 1997, by pure chance, several friends who wanted to improve their SAS programming skills got together and decided to hold monthly meetings to discuss programming problems, solutions and advancements. It was in this setting that we were very luckily met Frank and Fang. The meetings soon became family gatherings. We not only to talk about programming but also to chat, exchange daily life stories, dine together, and without fail, laugh out loud. Many times over the years, we even traveled together around the world. For 25 years, we have helped each other like a big family, and our kids have made each other best friends, brothers and sisters. The more we got to know Frank, the more we came to see that he was a person of principle. He was humble, kind-hearted, generous, full of love for others, and diligent, intelligent, responsible, thoughtful in everything he did. As Frank's good friends, we have all benefited from knowing him. When we needed him, we could always count on him to be there whatever the situation was. His words were few, but they were measured and considerate, making us feel comfort and warmth like a spring breeze. When traveling, the routes we took together were all planned and navigated by Frank. That made him the most sought-after travel companion. The days we spent together became a collective memory that will last a lifetime. With him, our experience of life became richer, deeper, and happier. How lucky we are to have such a precious friend. As the sixth child among ten siblings, Frank grew up in a village in Fujian Province. His loving and harmonious family cultivated in Frank a strong sense of character. He was smart, hardworking and always ready to help others. Even from young age, his achievements in elementary and secondary schools were so outstanding to make him a model for the school and even for the whole county. Frank’s intelligence and tenacity manifested in a number of truly remarkable achievements. He was admitted to a prestigious university at age of 15, completed his Ph.D program in statistics at UCLA in 3 years, and very rapidly became a distinguished scientist at work. Frank gave generously of his time and energy to volunteer activities in his community. He served as a youth mentor in a volunteer group, participated in various public welfare activities in the community, visited senior centers, and raised funds to purchase books and study materials for children in remote mountainous areas in China. The sad news of Frank's sudden passing at such a young age shocked us all and we are still coming to terms with it. Yet, we believe that a person's life is measured not only by its length but more so by its depth, and Frank lived very deeply. Frank lived a life full of love. He experienced a lot, felt a lot, achieved a lot, and contributed a lot. Frank's good character will continue to inspire us and will be passed on to future generations. We believe he did not leave, but lives with us in another way. May Frank rest in peace. He will forever live in our hearts

Video: speech by Wendy Wan/徐志诚, Badminton Club

首先感谢LA Fitness ，MCCC 羽毛球队长徐志诚和李元的辛苦组织! 谢谢每位球友的参与和信任! 在此有幸代表大家，向Frank亲属陈芳及家人表达亲切的问候，并对Frank的英年早逝表示沉痛的哀悼! 望生者节哀，愿逝者安息!

球友们都记得一个月前，我们还和Frank在一起愉快地打球和聊天。可谁也没想到，更不会相信:今天我们已天地之隔，今生我们无法再相见......

无论是跟Frank 一起打球20年，还是初次见面，他和蔼可亲的微笑，总会让人感到温暖! 他善良的人格魅力，一直深深打动人心! 他对羽毛球的热爱，更是不断激励球友! 他温良恭俭让的美德，成为大家心目中公认的大好人!! 球友们在群里纷纷留言，回忆跟Frank在一起的羽球时光: 点点滴滴，情深意重; 字字句句，感慨万千! 谢谢刘小妹编辑美篇收录球友们的留言，谢谢Wendy Wang 和向炀提供照片! 在此只能摘录几个片段与大家分享:

队长徐志诚观察: Frank每次遇到场地不够，都会儒雅礼让，不争也不抢! 他谦逊的君子风度，给球友们留下了深刻的印象!

队长李元回忆: Frank平时打球总是四两拨千金! 他积极参加球队活动，热心为大家服务! 探察球场是否开放,义务保管遥控器。场上场下都是球友们的典范!

教练Michael发现: Frank 打球时从不发声，更不会与人争执。如果他失误了，只会轻轻搖摇头。问他打球怎么总是静静的？他说:为了节省体力 ( 这应该是他赢球的绝招吧?! )

球友徐立强感慨: 她儿子小时侯球打得很差 ，Frank却一点都不嫌弃，经常陪着练球!

球友Yuguang赞同: 他儿子也有同样的经历。Frank 非常大度，尤其是对年轻人和初学者极具耐心，只有心胸开阔的人才会有这样的表现!

老球友继波感叹: 跟Frank打球20年了，他们已经成为球场上的手足兄弟!他的特色一拍, 从左后场切对方前对角，特别好使!

年轻球友Donna赞道: 很喜欢跟Frank打球，没有任何压力! 输球，他不会抱怨。赢球，他也不会自夸。球场上的他永远都是笑脸相迎, 令人敬佩!

同事加球友刘小妹写道: Frank是一位衷心善良、温文尔雅的良师益友! 怀念Frank曾在她人生低谷时给予的鼓励和帮助!

虽然Frank英年早逝，生命如此短暂，但他却如一颗果树， 一生硕果累累！他像灿烂阳光，给人温暖! 他像流星划过，照亮黑暗! Frank, 请一路走好! 希望花圈上洁白的羽毛球，带去大家的无限哀思! 愿天堂依然有羽球相伴! 你会永远活在我们的心中 ......

谢谢每位在座的朋友们，不顾疫情, 顶风冒雪，前来送Frank 最后一程! 特别致谢球友Michael 和Joyce 夫妇，热心帮助羽毛球队订送花圈，写慰问卡和收集捐款! 还要感谢球友Fang Liu 帮助筹办追思会! 人间自有真情在!! 生命短暂，世事无常。让我们一起呵护健康，珍惜生命，活好每一天!!

Video: Calvin Chan, family friends

Good morning, friends and family. My name is Calvin Chan and for those who don't know me, I am the son of Ivan Chan, one of Frank's closest friends. Thank you so much for gathering here today and attending this ceremony honoring Frank's life. I understand that this day is a profoundly sad one, though even in this time of grief I cannot help but reflect on a few of the many wonderful experiences that I shared with Frank that underscore his innate humanity. In navigating this incredible loss, it is important for us to remember how much beauty, compassion, knowledge, and kindness Frank added to each and every one of our lives.

The oldest memories that I can call to mind are of my family and Frank's family. I remember playing with stuffed animals in the basement of their first home in North Wales, Pennsylvania and hearing Frank's ever patient voice calling us to come up for dinner that Chen Fang had prepared. As the ever hungry, chubby child, I always made sure I got to the food first. Despite my focus on the food, a pattern that I also noticed was that Frank always waited until everyone else was served before serving himself. Frank was someone who taught me by example how to put others before yourself. Since most of my extended family resides in Hong Kong, Frank's family became the closest thing I had to extended family in the US. When I first started College at Swarthmore, my parents decided it was the perfect time to uproot and move over to the Chicago area. This meant that Frank and his family became my new immediate family. Frank and Chen Fang are the ones I would call if I needed a ride from the airport, a closet to store some clothes or cooking utensils, or a home to spend countless Thanksgivings, Christmases, and New Years. Regardless of the ask, Frank and Chen Fang were always happy to help. They treated me and my sister Iris as if we were their own. When staying over, I would bid Frank and Chen Fang good night knowing that the next morning I would wake up to a table filled with far too many eggs, fruit, croissants, and of course, Frank's famous homemade yogurt. Despite being the most lactose intolerant person you'll probably ever meet, to me, Frank's yogurt was always worth it! In all seriousness, throughout my years in college, Frank and his family demonstrated to me what unconditional kindness is. I and undoubtedly countless others, have Frank to thank for showing us a beautiful example of what living life with generosity looks like and I hope to continue passing on Frank's legacy of giving to others. One of my fondest memories of Frank revolves around badminton, a sport that we often bonded together over. During the winter break of my freshman year at Swarthmore, Frank invited me to play badminton with him at the nearby LA Fitness. Despite his busy work schedule, he made the time to take me to play because he knew that I was itching for sports since coming back from college. To thank him, I brought him some extra badminton birdies and recommended a pair of shoes to help him with footwork and grip in the gym. During a match, I severely injured my knee and sat firmly planted on the gym floor as I could not stand or even straighten my leg. Knowing immediately that something was wrong, Frank called my mother, wheeled me out of the gym on a weight cart and accompanied me to the emergency room. As you can see, I'm 6 foot tall, nearly 180 pounds, and not at all easy to move around, so wheeling me out on a dingy LA Fitness weight cart was no easy feat. Afterwards, Frank stayed with me while a team of medical professionals assessed me and he continued to reassure me that I would be ok. Fast-forward a week to Christmas Eve. I was one day post-operation and Frank and his family were already visiting me and wishing me a quick and uneventful recovery. Around 10 that night, I realized that my wound had not closed properly and we decided to drive to CHOP to see an orthopedic specialist. Despite my best attempt to dissuade Frank and his family from making the trek down to Philly with us late that night, they drove to CHOP anyways to keep me and my family company as we tried to figure out how best to take care of my wound. Like honestly, who drives their whole family into the city in the middle of the night on Xmas day to keep their friend's kid company at the hospital? Frank. That's who. These are but a few memories that illustrate that Frank was someone who always put others before himself and who made every effort to turn even the worst of days into happier ones. Frank was an exceptionally genuine person whose outpouring of love and kindness has shaped the lives of countless people. With his passing, Frank is leaving behind not only an incredible legacy in the world of statistics but also a monumental legacy of generosity, loyalty, gratitude, and compassion.

Video: speech by Alison Liu, daughter

I didn't know Frank the same way you all did. For much of my life, he was “omg please don't embarrass me” dad. But from everything I've heard about him as a colleague, friend, brother, or husband, I know Frank was true.

He hardly ever talked about himself. Everything I've learned about dad, I've observed or heard from the people around him, and what’s said about dad, all the good about him, is resoundingly consistent. Consistently giving, consistently calm, consistently smiley, curious, creative, and committed. All through my high school years, everyday he got up in pitch black darkness, extra early to toast some blueberry waffles for my breakfast, then packed my lunch (because I always complained that cafeteria lines were too long and I wouldn't have time to eat), and drove me to school (so I could sleep in and miss the bus). And not once did he ever ask for a day off or give in to feeling sick, always putting up with my moodiness (and trust me, teenager me… there are no words. I really don't know how dad did it. Looking back, I think my graduation was just as much, if not more so, a celebration for my parents having survived, raising me).

Sometimes he’d let me sleep in extra late, but no worries because dad was quite the magician with his driving. He always found a way to avoid traffic, timed it exactly right to brake less, save gas, and arrive on time. (You can ask mom for more stories about dad’s magic trick, driving home from Merck.) Yet, teenager me didn’t want to be like dad at all. Absolutely, did not want to become a statistician. Because then, I'd be like "ugh, dad". So this was my great rebellion: I decided to go against all expectations and attend an unknown small liberal arts college, and I chose the also unknown major actuarial science. I decided to get only a bachelors. So after graduating I went straight to work for a company on the other side of the country.

But… I'm still spending the next few years studying math. And most recently, it was a ton of statistics… specifically Bayesian statistics, credibility, predictive models, and industry specific applications of math. And I absolutely love it. Ohhh my gosh, I'm so dad… I was working on an assignment at home once, had been staring at this problem for days. Hadn’t made any progress, so dad offered to help. He read the problem, walked into our office, and came out with one of his old textbooks. After flipping through a few pages, he scribbled a bit on a notepad, maybe 30 minutes later, he came back smiling and quietly pushed the notepad with the answer towards me. That was when I knew, oh-huhohhh your rebellion failed Allison, you have literally followed in dad's footsteps. Your textbook material is actually the same and dad can still figure out your math problems.

But I'm glad. For two reasons:

1. Obviously, because dad was always my last resort if I got stuck. But also, I'm glad because I finally saw some of the best of dad I didn't see before. I learned the language of math and was able to talk with Frank in his world. To see the efficiency of his mind, his simple solutions to complex problems, just mind blown. And be inspired by the breadth of his knowledge, his ability to quickly pick up in-depth knowledge, if necessary, and his patience in explaining something completely foreign to me but something so natural to him. And I started to see dad not just in the world of math, but in every part of his life. I think one of my favorite things about he was how he could deep dive into any random subject; he was truly a lifelong learner, and a master at asking simply great questions. He asked questions that weren't just helping him learn, but somehow also helped everyone else in the conversation. I can only hope to grow my mind to be like dad's one day and practice his values as consistently as he did. From a daughter who didn't always see him, there was no side of dad that wasn't the Frank you know. That's what I mean, when I say dad was true. Consistently giving, consistently calm, smiley, curious, creative, and committed. A person like Frank is rare.

I'm proud you're my dad, Frank. Life wasn't fair to you, but you handled everything with such grace and treated the world back with unceasing kindness. Thank you for everything you gave me. I just wish I had more time with you to give back. I'm glad for all the memories and photos you left, and I'll keep them close to try to stay positive because you never complained, and you just kept smiling and solving problems for everyone around you. And that's how I hope to live my life, in memory of you Dad.

Video: speech by Steven Liu, son Video: closing remarks by Zak Huang

No winter without a spring

And beyond the dark horizon

Our hearts will once more sing

For those who leave us for a while

Have only gone away

Out of a restless, care worn world

Into a brighter day

On behalf of the family and memorial service committee, I would like to thank each of you for being with us today and helping the family to go through this difficult time. Also, many thanks to those who post their tributes on the website and supported memorial projects in Frank's name. Because of COVID-related restrictions, there will not be a reception after the service. Instead, the family has prepared a small gift for each in-person participant, to express their appreciation, and symbolize “Life Goes On”. On your way out, please take one per family or party. This concludes the memorial service. Frank, we will miss you. Thank you all.

Thank You
In this difficult period of our lives, we have been so greatly supported by our friends and colleagues. Our loving community has shown us much kindness; giving us courage and comfort. We are extremely humbled and
will hold your generosity in our hearts forever.
- Liu Family

Acknowledgements:

Memorial Service Preparation Core Team: Bill Wang, Lotus/Ivan Chan, James Wu, Fang Liu, Liji Shen, Ping Wang, Lilly Yang, Ying Zhang, Zak Huang

Master of ceremonies: Zak Huang

Eulogy: Ivan Chan
Speakers: Lisa Lupinacci, Jon Hartzel, Natalie Banniettis, Andy Lee, Liji Shen, Bowen Kang, Wendy Wan, Calvin Chan, Allison Liu, Stephen Liu

Program: Ping Wang
Speaker arrangement: Bill Wang
Flower arrangement: Fang Liu, Lotus Chan
Photo arrangement: James Wu
Gift arrangement: Lilly Yang, Weifeng Xu, Shuping Zhang, Cai Bing, Li Liu, Yi Zhao, Hui Zhang, Wenyu Hu

Donation/Memorial Garden: Fang Liu, Lilly Yang
Photography: James Wu, Cai Bing
Musical prelude: Iris Chan
ZOOM meeting: Ying Zhang, Heng Zhou, Xuelong Wang, Snow Yang

Tribute Website: James Wu

美篇Meipian authors: James Wu, Snow Yang, Meifeng Xu

A total of 280 persons attended the service: 103 onsite and 177 through zoom meeting.

Tributes website:

http://tributes.com/Frank-Liu

Condolence messages in Chinese:

https://www.meipian.cn/40aly4wp?share_depth=1

R.I.P