Jo King Yung

Jo King Yung “Susie” Tang, 1914-1981: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187071092/jo-king_yung-tang

Jo King Yung (1914–1981), known around Ithaca as “Susie,” “Hong Kong Susie,” or “Mama Sue,” was the matriarch of the Tang family who co-ran Asiatic Garden with her husband, Wing Quai Tang. Before marrying Wing Quai and immigrating to the U.S. in 1939, Susie was educated at St. Mary’s Missionary School and had a successful career as a midwife in China. In Ithaca, Susie quickly became the heart and soul of Asiatic Garden, treating her customers like family. Described in The Ithaca Journal as “a blend of hostess, boss, mother-figure, track star, disciplinarian and drill sergeant,” Susie was sharp-tongued yet nurturing, giving children small toys and affectionately scolding patrons if they didn’t finish their food. To this day, her name is nearly synonymous with Asiatic Garden, to the extent that some former patrons simply remember it as “Susie’s.”