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Thank you for continuing to visit. Below, we're posting some of the parts of Jack's service for those who couldn't attend.
Click here to jump to Jack's Eulogy, written by
Katherine Tang. Jack's ashes are interred in the memorial garden of the First United Methodist Church of Phoenix in the third row from the bottom on the far left side of the main panel, next to where (one future day) his parents' ashes will be interred.
Jack Ethanael “An-Ling” Tang Jack Ethanael Tang was born at 5:49pm on Thursday, December 28, 2006 at St. Joseph’s Hospital. He weighed 6 lbs. 15 ounces, and was 19 inches long. He was granted his angel wings on Sunday, September 7, 2008, following a lifelong battle with Menkes Disease. His final days were spent at home, surrounded by family and friends. Jack was named after his grandpa who endured a 20-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease, but also possessed the same bravery, strong will, and humor as our little boy. His Chinese name, “An-Ling,” means “Peaceful Spirit,” which Jack exuded every day of his life. He had his daddy’s eyes, and his mommy’s cheeks, which were either pinched or kissed on a regular basis. Although Jack’s illness made him appear frail, he possessed bravery, strength, and a strong will to make his own decisions. Like any typical little boy, he got mad whenever anyone tried to wash his face, even up until the very end. He had impeccable timing, and when he was asked a question such as, “Jack, are you a happy boy?” He would respond with a verbal sigh indicating that, yes, he was indeed happy. One day he was very lovingly asked, “Jack, do you want to eat some tasty fruit with your medicine?” Without missing a beat, Jack replied, “Nooooooooo.” Jack’s life would seem too short to many, but those who were touched by him understand that the quality of existence far exceeds the quantity of time in which one lives. His gentle smile could melt the hearts of those around him and though he never spoke a word, his voice and thoughts were always known. With his courage he taught us to believe that each day is a blessing and an opportunity to create lasting memories. He could spend hours rocking in his favorite chair while cuddling close to those he loved so much. He loved his little toy ladybug and listening to the sounds of his three puppies barking, which would make him smile. Jack especially loved being in his crib where it was quiet, and being swaddled in the blankets his Grammy made for him. It was one of the few places he could always sleep peacefully through the night. Although we will miss him every second of every day, especially the way he cooed, his beautiful smile and long eyelashes, he will forever remain in our hearts. Beyond his loving family, Jack leaves behind many wonderful caregivers that provided love and support that enhanced his quality of life. Jack’s love extends to his wonderful nurse, Devin; his pediatrician, Dr. Shaw; neurologist, Dr. Bernes; and holistic doctors Roland and Cheryl Phillips. Because of their continual dedication, love and support, Jack was able to survive some of his toughest medical challenges. He will be dearly missed by all his special caregivers, including the staff at Phoenix Children’s Hospital; physical, occupational and music therapists; his vision interventionist, Jody; and especially his respite care provider, Nancy. All of these special people provided Jack with love and dignity in his life and also in his death. Jack is survived by his loving parents, Anthony and Katherine Tang; great-grandmother, Elinor Ziegler; grandmothers, Sandra Ziegler and Kathleen Tang; grandfather, William Ziegler; Uncle Jared Ziegler; Uncle Larry Tang; Auntie Melissa and Uncle Doug Lee; Uncle Stanton and Auntie May Tang; cousins: Tim, Josh, Sami, Ashlee, and Riley; many loving extended family members and friends; and his three puppies: Sophie, Bailey, and Pecas. Jack was preceded in death by his paternal grandfather, Jack Chue Tang.
Sermon by Bishop Minerva Carcaño: Jack Ethanael An-Ling Tang; a huge name for a little boy. But Jack wore his name well. I remember holding him at his baptism, and later writing to Katherine and Anthony that I had felt that I was holding a child of God of enormous inner strength. It is not something I have often felt in holding infants. Cuddly, chubby, cute, sweet, sweet smelling, sometimes not so sweet smelling, are descriptive words that more often come to me as I have had the privilege of holding an infant. But with Jack it was clear; enormous inner strength was core to who he was, even as a baby. Perhaps it was God within him preparing him for the physical struggles that would come his way. For most of his 20 months of life, Jack did struggle, but Jack also grew in so many ways and blessed us. Katherine’s eulogy so beautifully describes how he grew and blessed those around him, with special blessings for Katherine and Anthony who cared for him with such patience, and love, and great respect for Jack’s personhood. Katherine and Anthony were so very respectful of Jack’s personhood that they worked very hard not only at anticipating his every need, but also at being aware of what those needs were. What I have learned from Anthony and Katherine is that most of all, Jack needed us to just be there for him and with him as he lived his life. One evening I went to visit Jack, and Katherine and Anthony, and was struck by Anthony’s first comment to me after his hello and welcome. He said to me, “Others are wanting us to keep hoping, but we can’t be there with them anymore.” It is true that we were all hoping; hoping that Jack would be the exception in the survival rate to Menkes Disease; hoping upon hope that perhaps it would be learned that his affliction was another, a curable disease; and through prayer, hoping that God would send a miracle and Jack would be made well. Hoping is important to our human spirit, and for a time it sustained us all. But there are those moments when hoping for that which is counter to the limitations of this life can keep us from receiving the gift of the life we do have. Throughout his days Jack lived his life, finding comfort in the loving arms of his mother, and joy in the playful spirit of his father. Katherine and Anthony were not only wise but loving in knowing when to let go of the hope that their son would live a long life in order to be present for him in the life he did have. Others of you were wisely and lovingly with them. Grandmothers who organized their lives around being present and caring for Jack; a grandfather who lives a world away who came to be with Jack in life; an uncle who lives in another state who calculated the cost of the gifts he would have bought Jack over a life time and used those funds instead to travel here to be with Jack as often as he could. Katherine and Anthony who both took leave from their work and ministry to devote all of their time to loving Jack in the life he did have. I am sure that many others of you were present for Jack in his life in ways that brought Jack comfort and the assurance that he was beloved, beloved of God and beloved of ours. I watched all of this, and was greatly moved by it all for I saw you, an extended family, let go of a futile hope, but gain the depths of love and the strength of faith. Today we know that Jack’s own suffering has come to an end. But the suffering caused by his death and the grief it has brought us, remains with us and will abide with us for yet days to come. In our suffering I want to encourage us to call forth the strength of our faith and the depth of the love we have known. As God has loved Jack, and now hold’s Jack in God’s own eternal and compassionate arms, God loves us so very much and is with us. It is out of God’s own love for us that on this day and in this hour, God holds up the vision of true hope for us and for the world; that true and faithful hope that one day there will be no more suffering and no more death. In the words of the Apostle Paul, one day we will be set free from our bondage to bodies that decay and die because of illness of the body and illness of the spirit. And on that day glory is what we shall see and sing! Indeed the sufferings of this moment, says Paul, are not worth comparing with the glory that is about to be revealed to us because God loves us and is with us. And it is by faith and because we have known God’s love for us that we are sure that God has loved and will always love and care for Jack. True and faithful hope is found in God’s own hope for us that one day our whole world will be transformed from suffering to wholeness, from death to life, from sadness to joy. This is God’s hope for us, and one very good day we will see it in all its glory because God is with us. I do know, however, that in the midst of death it is hard to hope again, even in God’s own hope for us. On this day it may be very hard to have faith, and it may be very hard to believe that God loves us. It is alright. It is alright to be in such a place for it is especially in this place of wrenching human pain and suffering that the Spirit of God comes and holds us, ever so closely and ever so tenderly, and prays for us when we cannot even pray for ourselves. Paul says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. I believe the Holy Spirit is holding us and crying right along with us. And I know that somewhere deep in your spirits you believe with me; believe that the Holy Spirit will not let us go until our tears are washed away and our hearts are strengthened and our true hope is restored. Of this we can be sure, for God is faithful. Thanks be to God for the life of Jack Ethanael An-Ling Tang; for his enormous inner strength, for the beauty of his life, and for all that he has given us and taught us along the way. Amen.
A Celebration of Life
And as [Christ] spoke, He no longer looked to them like a
lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful
that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we
can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was
only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their
adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last
they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has
read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one
before. PRELUDE GREETING CALL TO WORSHIP *OPENING HYMN - Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, #103 in the U.M. Hymnal SCRIPTURE READING - Revelation 21:3-4 HYMN OF PREPARATION - Jesus Loves [You], #191 in
the U.M. Hymnal PRAYER PSALM 23 (in unison) SCRIPTURE READING - Romans 8:18-21,26 ANNOUNCEMENTS *CLOSING HYMN - Hymn of Promise, #707 in the U.M. Hymnal BENEDICTION POSTLUDE * * * When you leave this service of celebration, you will be given an envelope which contains a piece of candy and a coin. This is a Chinese tradition, which the Tang family would like to share with you. The candy gives you an opportunity to leave this service with a sweet taste in your mouth. The coin is for you to buy something for yourself that would bring happiness to this solemn time.
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