Wine, egg rolls, ping pong and Everest

We were devastated to hear about Sen. He was such a kind, gentle man. We first met Sen and his beautiful wife Ning about a decade and a half ago while we were living in Akron, OH. We took a wine tasting train trip into the Ohio countryside, and Sen and Ning sat across from us. By the end of the roundtrip excursion, we were chatting like old friends and exchanged phone numbers, quickly getting together thereafter. We invited them into our home, and they into theirs.

Sen and Ning were so generous sharing their culture with us. They invited us for dinner, making the most succulent duck we've ever had. Sen made phenomenal egg rolls for us. Sen and Ning had recently purchased a ping pong table, and Sen invited John to play, teasing John that because he was playing for the first time in years that he must have been cheating. Ning and he also played spirited ping pong matches - actually rather cut throat ones, in the best spirit of the game.

We were so impressed with Sen's passion for mountain climbing and loved hearing about his and Ning's shared story about preparing to visit base camp at Mount Everest. It required such determination and fortitude, and Sen described the challenge of building up lung capacity and preparing for the high altitudes. Sen later shared that drinking yak milk helped him get over the intense headaches brought on by the altitude at Everest. (Ning hated the taste, but soon had to give in and drink because her headaches became so painful.) I had the honor of writing about their adventure for Akron Life & Leisure magazine, and I am so glad I had the opportunity to share their story. Sen was able to accomplish a dream with that trip, one so few people get to realize. (He was so pleased and proud to name his first son Edmund after Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with a guide, was the first person to reach the pinnacle of Mount Everest.

After we moved to Omaha, Sen and Ning sent us a beautiful red vase - one that sits pridefully in our living room - as a housewarming gift. They also sent a darling teddy bear complete with its own birth certificate to celebrate the birth of our daughter.

Sen was an incredibly special man, one who will be dearly missed. We are honored and privileged to have been able to count him as a friend.