Virginia Tang Corrigan ’65, beloved mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend, passed away at the age of 88 on the morning of Nov. 10, 2025, at her home in Montecito, California.

Her family shared the following remembrance of her “incredible life.”

Born in Hoy Ping Village (“Calf’s Head Village”), Kaiping County, Guangdong Province, China, on Jan. 13, 1937, she was the youngest of three children born to Herbert and Lillian Dong. Her Chinese name was Ching Yen Tang.

The Chinese Exclusion Act separated Virginia’s family across continents. While her father and most male relatives lived in the United States, Virginia and her older sister Margaret were raised by their mother and blind grandmother in Hoy Ping. Her father had originally immigrated to the United States in 1919 and her mother immigrated after World War II. She remembered hiding in the forest from Japanese soldiers who marched through their village during the war. In the chaos that ensued during the civil war between the Nationalists and the Chinese Communist Party, Virginia and Margaret moved to Guangzhou and then to Hong Kong in 1952 with their Aunt and Uncle Wong. She remembered her family bribing border guards with jewelry to let them into Hong Kong.

While in Hong Kong she attended St. Mary’s Canossian College for secondary school. In 1956, Virginia and Margaret were finally able to immigrate to the United States under the 1953 Refugee Relief Act, joining their parents and brother Allen in Phoenix, Arizona. Upon their arrival, Virginia and Margaret attended South Mountain High School in Phoenix, with their cousin Charlie, and worked afternoons as cashiers in their father’s store, Fairway Market, earning $5 per week. Virginia’s immigration name was Caroline, with her birth date listed as Feb. 15, 1937 (due to a clerical error or otherwise, we never knew but it did cause lifelong confusion to her children!). As their sponsor, Herbert described Virginia and Margaret as honest, trustworthy, of good character, members of the Catholic Church – words that proved true throughout their lives.

After high school graduation, Virginia first attended junior college in Phoenix, but decided to forge her own path and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA. There, she was among only a handful of Asian students at the time, earning her B.S. in business administration in 1965. She met and kept lifelong friends from her Bruin days, but it was a fellow immigrant from Ireland who caught her eye in the library one evening. While she said there were “many suitors” at the time, it was Gerald Corrigan who won her over. He took her to see Peter, Paul, and Mary at the Hollywood Bowl on their first date and they married a year later in 1966. Their son Peter soon followed and daughter Elizabeth was born three years later. They settled in the hills of Pacific Palisades, California, with a Pacific Ocean view out the front, and the hiking trails of “Gold Mountain” out the back.

Gerald and Virginia Corrigan, Washington, D.C., July 1968
In the late 1970s, Virginia embarked on an incredibly successful real estate career, selling her first house just one week after obtaining her real estate license. Focusing on residential property in Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, and Santa Monica, she was a perennial member of the Multi-Million Dollar Club, often earning the annual spot of “#1 on the Best Seller List”. She mentored young agents over the years, many of whom later expressed their appreciation for her insights on marketing, professional conduct, and the benefits of working hard. As quoted in a Beverly Hills paper in 1980, Virginia attributed her success to continually learning new ideas and techniques, looking and dressing well, and keeping a friendly but professional manner. When it came to dressing well, Virginia had the perfect sense of how to look stunningly put together from head to toe, but did so at the best price: she always knew how to expertly shop the sale racks at Bullock’s, often with Peter and Liz as her somewhat reluctant shopping companions.

While Virginia devoted most of her attention to work and family, she enjoyed travel to England, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Mexico, New York, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Hawaii, as well as road trips to see family in Phoenix, San Diego and San Francisco. In 2000, Virginia and Gerald retired to Montecito, where Virginia enjoyed yoga at the YMCA, made new friends through the Newcomers Club, and was a member of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church choir.

From as long as her family can remember, Virginia had a strong belief in health and wellness: the power of fresh food — avocados, salmon, garlic, walnuts, mushrooms — to keep you strong and healthy. Before it was trendy, she would shop at the Farmer’s Market (where every vendor knew her name and what she wanted to purchase) and buy natural lotions and beauty products at the tiny local health food store in the Palisades (way before Whole Foods existed!). In Santa Barbara, Virginia’s inquisitive demeanor led her to make many friends browsing the health and vitamin aisles of Lazy Acres on Senior Discount Tuesdays.

Gerald and Virginia Corrigan with their children, Peter and Elizabeth

Virginia loved to surround herself with flowers, but orchids were always one of her favorites. One of her favorite places to travel was Hawaii, because of the lush, fragrant and tropical floral life. Orchids of every color thrived in her house and her dining room always had a more vibrant selection than any of the florist shops in town. On many sunny weekends both in the Palisades and Montecito, you could find Virginia in the backyard tending to her fruit trees, plants and flowers, and planning for the next phase of improving her beautiful garden.

Award-winning real estate agent

Above everything, Virginia loved spending time with her four grandchildren, especially in the backyard that she so lovingly cultivated. Picking apples and oranges together from the abundant fruit trees, pushing them on the swing hung from the oak tree, and watching them go up and down the play slide on the green grass, were just a few of the precious memories from her retirement years. Christmas was one of Virginia’s favorite holidays because it was the one time of year where her entire family would be together under her roof. The house would be decorated throughout with her favorite color red: bows, ribbons, stockings, poinsettias and candles. The Santa candy bowl was always full of bite-size chocolates. She loved to spoil her grandkids with new clothes, toys, and hand them each a “lai see” (red envelope). Her constant laughter during the annual showing of “Home Alone” will be missed.

Virginia was immensely thankful for the opportunities the United States gave her. She was a strong proponent of education, and a lifelong UCLA Bruins fan. She could not have been more proud of both her children’s and grandchildren’s academic achievements. Virginia was an avid follower of both American politics and the U.S. stock market. She saw the election of Barack Obama as the U.S. fulfilling its role as the land of opportunity. She never missed an MSNBC show, could recite what Apple was trading at on a daily basis, and remained a keen investor, trading Nvidia as recently as this past summer. Virginia loved to sing aloud at home and one of her favorite songs was “God Bless America.”

Virginia’s work ethic, generous heart, and continued strength, especially in the face of health adversities in her final years, will always be remembered and respected by her loved ones.

Virginia was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Gerald Francis ’63, MBA ’66, her parents Herbert and Lillian Dong, and brother Allen Dong.

Virginia is survived by her children Peter Corrigan and Elizabeth Branham ’91, their spouses Karen Bergan and Eryc Branham, her beloved grandchildren Sophie Branham, Aedan Corrigan, Jocelyn Branham and Connor Branham, sister Margaret Liu, cousin Charlie Wong and many extended relatives.

Her family is immensely grateful to her wonderful caregiving team of Katherine, Blanca, Veronica, Jackie, Jeyson, Ceily, Karen and Juan, who provided so much support, love and compassion to her.

Virginia Tang Corrigan (center) with UCLA classmates Marie Wong and Elena Choy