A memorial tree is dedicated in May 2017 in Cisco Building #6 where Shipeng worked.
“He could get up from his desk and look out the window and see his tree.
I bet he often looked at the tree when he got up to stretch his legs.”
Patrick—-
My Diary following Shipeng’s Norman Oklahoma Accident
I stumble on this three page diary print out while searching for some paper records in a storage box. It was my day-by-day notes of what happen in Norman Oklahoma following his car accident in March 1996.
Although the notes is very personal, I have decided to post it here. I think Shipeng’s survival from Norman Oklahoma car accident marked an important milestone of his life.
I have also posted a few photos taken when we re-visted Norman around Octorer of the same year. In that trip we met again the doctors who saved his life. We met Pastor Tony Wong and friends from his Chinese Church who came to our help after they heard of Shipeng’s accident. We have also went to Oklahoma city to meet Shipeng’s co-workers. The company they work for was called Datatime.
Soon after the accident. A friend gave me this cut out section of local newspaper to keep. I don’t remember who he/she was.
I can not remember why and how I kept these notes. It looks like that I typed/transfer the notes into an email-like file. It is so valuable 20 years later for me and other Shipeng’s friends to read it again.
Page 2:
page 3
Tony Wong is the pastor of Chinese Church in Norman. He and his wife Esther, and many other his church members, spent many days in hospital with us. We were strangers in Norman Oklahome when the accident happend. By the time we left, we made many friends. This picture was taken when we re-visit Norman in October. Shipeng was telling Tony about his recovery.
These were shipeng’s co-workers and friends in Oklahoma city in 1996. When I arrived at Norman hopistal around 2 AM in the night with Zhao Yi. His director (right, first) was there to greet us. Mark Brown (left, third) called me while I was in hospital. He introduced himself as “I am Mark, I am Shipeng’s best friend here at Datatime”. His manager Bill Goodwill (left, second) later visited us in Dallas and brought beautiiful hand-made toys to Aurea. Bill told us that he had lost one of his teenage son to cancer a few years earlier.
Shipeng’s commute (Email By Patrick Born)
(Patrick’s email dated 5/19/2015)
Hi Yi,
I hope this helps you better understand Shipeng’s commute. If there’s anything you’d like more help on, please let me know.
Here’s the data I pulled from Shipeng’s Garmin:
He was riding at 28.5 MPH, pedaling at 100 revolutions per minute, and his heart was beating at 150 beats per minute.
Those numbers are amazing and he’d give such a big smile if asked about this commute. He was doing what he most loved, riding as fast and as hard as he could.
I walked the road just after 7:00 AM this morning. It’s a high-speed downhill sweep to the right.
Shipeng knows this road really well and based on his other ride data he usually took this corner at speed on the way home.
The attached rRiverSite.jpg file is annotated with my opinion of what could have happened.
The attached rriverRoadSquirrel.jpg shows the squirrel I saw trying to cross the road this morning while I was walking the area, trying to understand how I would ride the road and perhaps how Shipeng may have taken the turn at speed.
The attached rriverRoadView.jpg shows what a cyclist sees looking over the handlebar.
The road has damage to the lane so when entering the corner, he would have to either choose an outer or inner line to ride his bicycle and not change this line else he’d go into oncoming traffic or cross over the road damage in his lane.
I suspect he was taking the inner line and either road debris or something caused him to shift his position slightly, potentially riding over the damaged road and losing control.
Did you know that Shipeng was so encouraged by the trip that Brad and I rode, he told us that he’d love to ride to Houston one day? I know he’d have made it the whole way. He is such a strong cyclist. I would have loved to make that ride with him.
Regards,
Patrick—
Shipeng often spoke of his biking friend Patrick’s athletic quality: Patrick is not only a high performance biker, he is also a fast long distance runner.
Patrick and Aurea created this ghost bike memorial for Shipeng.
Shipeng in the Last days and hours of his Life (Email to friend by Yi Tang)
Dear H and W,
Shipeng was in coma from 5/14 and he passed away peacefully Tuesday 5/26 10:10 PM. I am grateful that H was able to come and spent Saturday 5/16 with him.
While Aurea and I were trying to overcome shock and survive the darkest time in those days. I had the most dreaded feeling about having to make end of life decision for him.
The doctor we tried to contact in Southwest medical center for second opinion did not have anything hopeful to tell us. So I consulted a neurologist, who is a very kind Chinese lady. Both essentially confirmed what Dr. Mcdonald (the neurosurgeon) told me.
They were all wrong, however, in that Shipeng would survived much longer than they thought. He continued to have minimal detectable brain function every day until around the Memorial weekend.
When his coughing ability and other body reflex stopped, they suggested to me to do a brain flow test on him. I resisted and ask them to wait for a few more days. During the memorial weekend, more people have come to visit him. He was surrounded by friends most of the time.
On Tuesday 5/26, they pressured me again for the test. This time, the ICU nurse told me privately, when I ask her, that she was quite sure that Shipeng will not survive that test.
I called a friend over so that she can drive me to home to pack up Shipeng’s favorite biking outfits for his final hours. In the mean time, many others heard about the news of the pending brain test and have come to the hospital to be with us.
When the doctor walked in ICU to deliver the result, I did not bother to get it privately. People are standing by him and all of us took the bad news together. He was pronouced brain dead around 6:00 PM and the hospital will have to take him off life support around 10:00 PM.
What happened between 6-10 PM that day will eternally stay in my memory. Friends came and they packed the hospital guest area. His Cisco manager and director are among them One of his biking friend showed me one of Shipeng special biking outfit in picture, so I ran back home again with friends to find that outfit for him. Two other friends rushed out and bought him new biking outfits, biking shoes and new helmet. People were gathering around and they wanted to stand by him in the last hours of his life.
When he was finally dressed-up in his most special outfit. I asked everyone to wait in guest area. Aurea and I were alone by his bed. We hold his hands and stayed with him after his support being turned off.
His was very peaceful when he left us. His heart stopped at around 10:10 PM. In the end, He freed himself and did not need us to decide anything for him.
The moment following his passing, friends lined up around his bed, one by one, said their final good bye.
On my request, Cisco will organize a memorial service 6/2 in Dallas’ White Rock park, which is his favorite place for biking and family outing.
Shipeng may not have lived a long life, but he was at the happiest time of his life when this happened. I did not want this memorial to be sad so I emailed all of them to share my feeling.
I am deeply thankful for your kindness and friendship. Your visit means a lot to Shipeng, to me and to Aurea.
I will find time to compile a photo book for Shipeng to honor his life. If you want to share a story or picture of him with us, I should be happy to save every bit of his memory from you.
I am sending a picture of him for you to keep. I think he was very very cool on bike and I shall forever value my 30 year of life with him.
We will be your friends for long time to come, thank you both,
Yi
Thank you message to Cisco Friends (Email By Yi Tang)
To all friends @ Cisco,
Last few weeks you have helped me surviving a very rough time of my life.
Yesterday morning I got up very early. I spent a few minutes visiting Shipeng’s road site memorial on Red River Street (it was very beautiful), I then went back to my own business work for the first time since his accident and I have managed to get quite a few tasks done.
Aurea and I will stick to our own plan for life from here and I want to assure you that we will be alright.
Thank you for giving him a great memorial at White Rock. I am very moved by your simple, honest eulogies and stories that are so true to your hearts.
I thank my husband for bring all of you to my life and I will stay your friend for long time to come.
I thank all of you,
Yi
Thank you and please donate to SPCA (Email by Yi Tang)
My dear friends,
Some of you have asked, via Feng and Xiaohong, that if we need help with money, or if you can send flowers.
I thank you for your kindness and want to assure you that we don’t have money trouble. I do want to tell you about my other “baby”, our cat Snowy, and I think you could honor Shipeng’s momory by giving donation directly to SPCA
https://www.spca.org/
About Snowy
We adopted Snowy from an unknow neighbor in 2006 when he was 6 weeks old. Baby Snowy weight less than one pound and sometimes he would take a nap on Shipeng’s shoulder when he was working on computer.
Over time, Snowy has grown to be very a respectable family member. We have high hope for his intelligence and want to send him to Harvard.
Snowy and Shipeng are very bonded as “odd couple” at home.
Every morning around 5 AM, when Shipeng’s wake up alarm is sounding off, Snowy would show up by our bed, calling and pushing him up using his head. They would then walk together to bathroom and washing themselves using same sink.
Shipeng has a pilow on sofa reseved for Snowy. Every evening they “coach potato” in front of TV. They watch lot of horror movies and Super Bowl together (I attached a picture of Shipeng putting TV-remote on Snowy’s back :-).
Shipeng has the habit if checking weather app from his iphone every night after getting into bed. Snowy would always insiste on Shipeng sharing his iphone screen with him.
I can go on and on with many more stories of Snowy. Snowy has taught us that cats and dogs can love us so much more than we do them. Thank you for your support to animal protection and animal right charity such as SPCA.
Love you all,
Yi
I took this picture very recently: Shipeng put his TC remote on snowy’s back, who did not protest.
Shipeng was at his happiest time of life (Email By Yi Tang)
Dear friends,
Shipeng was at his happiest time of life when this accident happened.
He had just started his new project at Cisco. He worked longer hours and enjoyed it very much.
He was VERY VERY proud of Aurea. It was his greatest fulfillment in life to know that she is on her way to a bright future. He was so proud when Aurea has completed half Marathon in Houston this January. He talks and smiles much more when Aurea was around. He trained her for half Marathon in White Rock and was planning to ride with her there on the weekend following his accident.
We just bought his dream home; a “Hartfort” model by Grand Home, and will be building it in summer. We have chosen the beautiful Cumberland Crossing community, only 3 miles away from our current house, so that he can continue to ride bike to work.
You can still visit his dream home here 
even though I have decided to cancel the contract after his accident.
http://www.grandhomes.com/gh_comm_modeldetail.php?com=1&mod=258
What I want to say, to all of you, is that Shipeng did not plan for any sadness on us. So please do not be sad for his passing.
I’d like to ask all of you for a favor.
Please write and share a story of shipeng with me, Aurea, and everyone else; a story you want us to remember, or a story we could laugh at his expense.
Please send me, or Feng, or XiaoHong your stories, your pictures of him.
We arel plannng a fun filled memorial party in White Rocks to celebrate Shipeng’s life. Your story and photos will be used for this party.
In addition, I will find time during this summer to compile a photo book that document Shipeng’s life. I will collect your writings and the photos about Shipeng to create his Bio. I will give you a printed copy of this book when it is done.
Thank you for your love and your friendship,
Yi