Yinfang He

Yinfang He passed away on August 13th, 2016 in Cortland County, where she was a resident for the last 10 years. She was born in 1937 in Anhui, China, and was a spitfire who dedicated her life to being an inspiring sports coach, a wonderful mother, and a loving grandmother.

She lived through some of the toughest times in history with dignity, pride, and an abundance of love and affection for all those around her. She endured the great Chinese famine, survived the Cultural Revolution, and raised 3 children in the midst of it all.

Born in a small Chinese village to a family of very little means, she focused her energy on athletics. At the young age of 15, she was selected to join the Anhui provincial athletics program. This proved to be a turning point in her life, as she was to become a very successful handball goalkeeper for the next 10 years. In fact, she was recognized by the Chinese government for pioneering handball in the country. (Handball is a hybrid of soccer and basketball with a metal goal like soccer)

The Cultural Revolution that started in the mid-1960’s took her away from the sport she loved and she was forced to work in an enamelware factory to support a family of 5. For the next decade she proved her unwavering resilience. Post-Cultural Revolution, she was fortunate to again return to the sport she loved, this time as the head coach for the Chinese women’s national handball team in Beijing. Her team played in the ASIAD games and European exhibition games, and she continued her career as a coach for over 20 years until her retirement at the age of 55.

During her career she was appropriately nicknamed “The Steel Goalkeeper”, and “The He Ox”, which were synonymous with her core personality; Strong, stubborn and a fighter.

Even after she retired from handball she stayed active and involved in family affairs. She wasn't the distant grandmother who would be visited occasionally, but was ever-present in the lives of her grandchildren, taking them to school, to the library, engaging in their education, and caring for them when they were sick. She would even stay awake all night just to ground them for missing curfew. She was the backbone of the family and gave unwavering support to her children and grandchildren. She left a living impression of herself on everyone she touched.

Yinfang is survived by her daughter, Ling Wang, her son, Michael Wang, and her four grandchildren: Kaidi Wang, Celine Wang, Chuqing Zhu, and Sarah Xie.

Funeral services will be held at 6:00PM on Tuesday, August 16, 2016 at the Donald L. Barber Funeral Home, 5016 N. Main St., Homer. Calling hours will be held on Tuesday from 5:00PM until the time of the services.

Contributions in her memory may be made to American Cancer Association (http://www.cancer.org/) or St. Mary’s School, 61 N. Main St., Cortland, NY 13045.

 Service Information