Obituary: Alexandra Joyce Tang, 24

Editor's note: Alexandra Joyce Tang was . Her boyfriend, , was .

Her family kindly sent Patch the following obituary:

Alexandra Joyce Tang, full of youth, hope and love, had a bright future ahead of her.

Born July 2, 1988, Alexandra spent her childhood in Santa Barbara and her love for her family and of the city kept her there through college.

She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology.  

With a beautiful spirit, she had a great love for people and showed it.

The daughter of Alexander Tang, DDS (local Santa Barbara dentist for 30 years), and Elizabeth Tang, and sister of Candice Tang Nyholt, Alexandra came from a large family and even larger extended family.

Alexandra (known lovingly to family as “Sandra” and to friends as “Alex”) was surrounded by loved ones.  

She was looking forward to a career helping others – her first job out of college was working with Autistic children in South Orange County. She found it challenging but very rewarding.

“Sandra was such a spirited girl,” says the Tang Family.  “She was full of life and love.  She had an exciting future ahead of her and no words can fully express how much she’ll be missed by all.” 

She loved spending time with friends and family, she was one of over a dozen grandkids.  She had spent many years frequenting Orange County, visiting cousins in Cypress (who were a strong part of her life) and her big sister (and best friend) who attended the University of California, Irvine.  

Artistic and creative, Alexandra also loved to sing, though she was often too shy to do it in public.  

She loved animals and babysitting her sister’s cat.  When she was three, she enjoyed a family vacation to Sydney, Australia where she gained her love for koala bears.  

With a love of travel, Alexandra dreamt that one day she would visit Egypt. She also enjoyed going to the beach, hiking, playing tennis and spending time with loved ones.

A dedicated Honor Roll student and a member of San Roque Catholic Church in Santa Barbara, Alexandra worked for the City of Santa Barbara while in college, and also volunteered her time at a non-profit medical clinic.

Her family and friends remember her best for her contagious laugh. As she rolled around with laughter, her family and friends could not help but join her. 

To visit the Memorial Page for Alexandra Joyce Tang, visit: www.facebook.com/InLovingMemoryofAlexandraJoyceTang.