Shueh-Hui Shen

The family of Shueh-Hui (“Hui”) Shen is deeply saddened to share that Hui has passed away at her home in Morgantown, WV at the age of 85 on February 13, 2026.

Born on December 20, 1940 in Tainan City, Taiwan, Hui is survived by her husband of nearly 57 years, Ming-Shing Shen; her sons, Stephen Shen (Vicki Hang) of San Diego, CA and Edward Shen (Michelle Tsai) of Brooklyn, NY; her five beloved grandchildren (Paige, Elliot, Blake, Mia and Tati); her siblings Jeou-Shyong Wang and Mei-Hui Huang; and many, many close friends.

Hui was known by family and friends for great personal warmth, an insatiable curiosity, and a vast store of energy that belied her small stature. She would start conversations with people she met at the grocery store or sat next to on the bus, and some of those conversations would turn into lasting friendships. She traveled eagerly and widely throughout the world to farflung corners like Nepal and Iceland, and had planned international trips even recently. She continued trying and learning new things throughout her adult life and senior years. She learned to swim when she was 45.

Hui’s fierce independence and indefatigable spirit was evident early on in her life, and drove her to seek out her future in the U.S. During an era when most girls in Taiwan did not attend college, she graduated from the competitive Tainan Girl’s High School and from Kaohsiung Medical College with a pharmacy degree. In 1965, when she was in her mid-twenties, Hui convinced her parents to let her move to the United States. Her parents were reluctant but eventually relented by insisting that she stay with family friends who were living in Mobile, AL. She lived in Mobile during the civil rights era, and would later tell her children that she would talk with and befriend anyone she met, whether black and white. Hui had a love and gift for connecting with people from all walks of life.

After living in Mobile for a couple of years, she moved to Evanston, IL, where she worked for a hospital affiliated with Northwestern University. In Evanston, she was introduced to her future husband, Ming, who was working toward a master’s degree at Kent State University in Ohio. Hui and Ming married in 1969 in Kent, and then moved together to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Ming worked toward a PhD at the University of Pittsburgh.

Hui’s sons, Steve and Ed (forever known to many as Stevie and Eddie), were born in Pittsburgh. The family then moved every three years: to Charlottesville, VA; Rocky Point, NY (on Long Island); Laramie, WY, where Hui earned a Master’s degree from the University of Wyoming; and then finally, Morgantown, WV.

After the family moved to Morgantown in 1983, Hui and Ming lived there for more than four decades. They helped to anchor the small, strong community of Taiwanese Americans in Morgantown. Hui worked for many years in the urology department of West Virginia University at the University Health Sciences building. She worked throughout her children’s school years in Morgantown and welcomed her mother, who moved from Taiwan to live with them for half the year. She retired at 62.

Hui loved Morgantown and West Virginia. She regularly teared up when she heard “Country Roads” at events, and she extolled the virtues of Morgantown no matter where she was in the world. And despite her children’s entreaties for her and Ming to leave West Virginia to be closer to them, she wanted to live in Morgantown as long as possible.

Hui was known and recognized wherever she went, whether at the hospital when caring for her elderly mother, getting groceries at Kroger, or enjoying a cruise on the other side of the world. She was the queen of bumping into a friend–or the friend of a friend–and having a long, impromptu catch-up conversation. Her networks of friends in Morgantown and in the Taiwanese American community across the country were broad and deep. When she retired, she would often enjoy going to a lot of her grandchildren’s activities and became ingrained and beloved in these communities as well. She was always happy to connect you with a friend’s friend if you needed help. We will all miss Hui deeply and are inspired to embrace her open-hearted spirit and zest for life.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Mon Health Medical Center Foundation, 1200 J D Anderson Dr, Morgantown, WV 26505.

Friends and family will be received at Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce St. Morgantown, on Tuesday, February 17th from 4:00pm - 7:00pm. Details for a memorial service later this year in Orange County, California and Morgantown, WV will be updated online and condolences may be sent to the family at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com