Elliott Wu-Hsun Liu (劉吾雄), 72, of Sneads Ferry and Surf City, North Carolina, passed away from complications of cancer on April 5, 2023, while surrounded by his loving family. Born in 1951, in Taipei, Republic of China (Taiwan), he was the son of the late Liu Chang-Tsing and Liu Wei-Yi and the brother of Joseph Liu and Liny (Liu) Chou. He grew up by the black sand beaches of Kaohsiung, where friends and family called him “Little Tiger,” a nod to his Chinese birth sign and his self-described restless impatience as a boy that followed him throughout his life and served him in adulthood. He later served in the ROC Armed Forces by meeting the rigorous standards required for Honor Guards charged with the protection of Taiwan’s most important sites. He was well-known by his family as a lover of animals, from his fuzzy black-haired childhood dog, his family’s “red-assed monkey,” his “grand-puppy” Finn and “grand-kitten” Axle, and his beloved surviving beagle, Ching-Ching.

Wu-Hsun emigrated from the ROC to New York City, NY, in 1974, following his mother and preceding the rest of his immediate family. He graduated magna cum laude in 1977 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute of New York, and summa cum laude in 1979 with two Masters Degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. During his graduate studies, Elliott worked for the MIT Flight Transportation Laboratory and conducted contract research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center. He became a naturalized United States citizen in 1980. Later in life he was proud to be granted the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Organization and Management with a specialization in International Business from Capella University in Minneapolis, MO.

During an MIT dance while the city of Cambridge, MA, was shut down during the Blizzard of 1978, Elliott demonstrated his characteristic impatience and focus by spotting his future wife, Sally, and telling his roommate to dance with her exclusively while he broke it off with the date he brought to the event. They spent the rest of the evening together and began their relationship which would last the next 45 years. They were married in East Greenwich, RI, in 1980.

Elliott went on to a long and varied career, beginning in the commercial airline sector with Trans-World Airlines, taking his wife Sally on romantic trips to Athens, Greece, and kidnapping her for a surprise trip on a double-decker Boeing 747 to Paris, France. He was a plank-holder at break-off Braniff, Inc, part of the team that successfully resurrected the Braniff name as their Director of Corporate Information Systems. From there, he entered the business services sector with The Faxon Company, ITT Sheraton Corporation, and New England Business Services, overseeing massive projects to modernize regional and global business operations. In 1995, Elliott entered what would be the longest and perhaps most rewarding phase of his career which would last for the rest of his life, managing and developing efficiencies for the conduct of clinical research trials for pharmaceutical development firms PAREXEL, WorldCare, Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), and Thermo-Fisher Scientific. His international origins and experience led him to serve a key role in managing research compliance with the laws of a variety of countries. During this time, Elliott served as faculty of the Graduate School of Business and Management, University of Phoenix, bringing his expertise to graduate students around the world. Elliott had a hand in creating and managing the research processes and infrastructure that allowed these organizations to develop novel treatments and diagnostic tools for a variety of health conditions, bringing new drugs rapidly to untold numbers of people around the world who needed them.

Elliott studied and became an avid day-trader, and was a devoted follower of the political landscape of his adopted United States and his native Republic of China, inspiring many conversations on cross-strait relations with his sons. In 2013, Elliott purchased his beloved Beach House in Surf City, NC, as an investment as well as a little piece of the beach life he remembered so fondly from Taiwan. He and Sally took an unremarkable property and turned it into a beautiful home away that has been enjoyed by many vacationers and his family during off-seasons ever since, and which continues to provide for his family in his absence as an ongoing reminder of how his thoughts were always on providing for them in every way.

Elliott never lost his engineer’s love for technology, and was throughout his life a motorcyclist, Jeep enthusiast, seaplane pilot, power boat captain, and lately a dedicated ham radio practitioner (call sign W4TSA) who was proud to complete his FCC qualifications in record time. Within his family he was a renowned Chinese food chef, keeping alive traditions and recipes taught to him by his mother, but also inventing perhaps the best potato salad recipe known to mankind while drinking Mai Tai cocktails and Pinot Noir. He was a loving husband and more than anything a dedicated father to his three boys, giving everything he had to ensure that they had the best prospects possible for good lives.

Survivors include his wife, Sally, of Sneads Ferry; his three sons and daughter-in-law: Justin Liu and Kailynn Rink, of Naples, Italy, Daryn Liu of Wilmington, and Nathan Liu of Sneads Ferry; his brother, Joseph Liu, and sister, Liny Chou, of New York, NY; his cousins, Alice and Amy Han, who will deeply miss their Xiǎo biǎo gē; his sisters- and brothers-in law, cherished nephews (Andrew, Albert, Ian, Neil, Kan, Rex, Drew, Philip) and a favorite (only) niece (Brittany) who will miss their Shushu, Jiujiu, and Uncle Wu. His best friend Henry of over 60 years was always in his thoughts and will always be considered family.

A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at Saint James Episcopal Parish, 25 S. 3rd Street, Wilmington, NC 28401 (https://www.stjamesp.org/) on April 19, 2023, at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception at the church. The family will host a dinner for family, friends, and colleagues following.

Memorial contributions in Elliott (Wu-Hsun’s) name are suggested in lieu of flowers at the following charities that are meaningful to Elliott and his family:

• The American Lung Association (www.lung.org)
• Triangle Beagle Rescue of North Carolina (tribeagles.org)
• Backpacks for Kids (nourishNC.org)
• Saint James Parish of Wilmington, NC (www.stjamesp.org)

The family would like to thank the incredible staff of the New Hanover Regional Medical Center and Wilmington Health System for their skill, care, support, and compassion.

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