Chang Hou, aged 100, is a resident at ACC Care Center. She raised two boys and four girls in Hong Kong. Her husband was a businessman who imported and exported garments. She often traveled with him to Japan and other places for business.
In 1974, her husband passed away. By then, her children had moved to the U.S. She soon followed suit.
Sacramento was a new and strange place for Chang but then she discovered ACC. In the 70s, ACC operated out of a house on V Street owned by the Tambara family. Chang learned ceramics, crochet, knitting, and English.
Chang was also good at math. “She never used a calculator at the store,” says her daughter Emily Chapman. “She can count passing cars and birds when no one even notices them.”
Chang celebrated her 100th birthday at the ACC Care Center in August with 20 family members present. She doesn’t see herself as old and often remarks that that everyone else at ACC Care Center is old. “Mom has a clever mind and lots of opinions,” says Chang’s other daughter Marie Tan.
In 1999, Chang had a stroke but still went on an Alaskan cruise with 16 members of her family for her 80th birthday.
Emily says her mom is a tough lady and has a very strong will to live. “She’s been all over the world with her daughters and sons-in-law. She taught us to be honest, sincere, and faithful to God.”