Kun-Young Chiu

Kun-Young Chiu of Lake Park died Sunday, March 13, 2022 at the Fellowship Home in Valdosta. He was born in Taipei, Taiwan on June 23, 1937, to the late Juin and Luan-yin Chiu and had lived in Lowndes County for fifty five years. He founded the design firm of Kun-young Chiu & Associates, Inc. in 1970, doing structural and civil engineering for projects including the Orlando Airport Expansion, the Times Union Center renovation in Jacksonville, the Physical Education Complex at Valdosta State University, and a variety of military facilities throughout the Southeast, including Moody AFB, and Panama, among others. His innovative designs resulted in numerous engineering awards over the years, including a nomination for the Presidential Design Award under President George H. W. Bush in 1992. He was a Fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers as well as a life member, as well as with the American Concrete Institute and Society of American Military Engineers. Mr. Chiu was a writer of several autobiographical books on his life and career in both Taiwan and the United States, especially living in the South. He enjoyed gardening, fishing, classical music, literature, and art. He was an avid traveller and alumni of National Taiwan University and the University of Florida. Mr. Chiu was very proud of investing in his children’s lives and putting them through college and graduate schools, as well as mentoring others and sharing his experiences.

Survivors include his wife, Tosy Chiu of Valdosta; his daughter, Dr. Michelle Chiu of Charlotte, NC; his son and daughter in law, Jeffrey and Marina Chiu of Atlanta; as well as his grandson Winsten Chiu of Atlanta, of whom he was very proud of. He is also survived by one brother and three sisters. He is preceded in death by one sister, one brother, and his parents.

In keeping with Mr. Chiu’s request he will be cremated and no formal services will be held. Condolences to the family may conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com Carson McLane Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either the University of Florida (Department of Engineering), the American Heart Association, the National Geographic Society, the World Wildlife Fund, or in memory of his name to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Levine Children's Hospital in Charlotte, NC..