Written by Abigail Crawford
Photos by Nikki Gardner Photography

Sponsored by Valley Home Improvement

Published in Northampton Living (October 2022)

The Cheung family has lived in the Tinkham Woods neighborhood of Florence for fifteen years. Their daughter, Claire, now lives in Providence. Floyd Cheung has been a professor at Smith College for 23 years where he has taught Asian American literature. The last three years he has been serving as the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion. Eight years ago, he was the Director of Teaching and Learning at Smith. He plans on eventually going back to being a professor of literature. His wife Sheri is a primary care physician. She worked at a private practice in Springfield for ten years. Now she works at the Huntington Community Health Center. Recently she has started working in obesity medicine, helping people make lifestyle changes, dietary changes and mindset changes to get healthier.

Floyd and Sheri met while they were both students at Whittier College in Whittier, California. After they graduated, the two were married. Sheri went to medical school and Floyd pursued a PhD in literature. The couple moved to Western Massachusetts when Sheri began her residency at Baystate Hospital, and Floyd worked as a visiting instructor at Mt. Holyoke College. They lived in Springfield and Easthampton for about eleven years before they moved to Northampton, shortly after Floyd started his current job at Smith College. They also chose Northampton for its school district. “One of my fondest memories is picking out this house. It is sort of surrounded by trees and forest, so it feels almost rural, but then we’re also six minutes away from downtown Northampton and great restaurants and shops and everything, so it kind of feels like we got the best of both worlds moving here,” Sheri said.

Their son, Ben, recently graduated from Northampton High School and is heading off to Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts this year. Ben has been practicing martial arts at Spirit of the Heart in Northampton for twelve years. He got his black belt two years ago. He also ran track for two years at Northampton High School. Ben thoroughly enjoyed the Arts program at Northampton High School, where he pursued honors classes. He has been painting and drawing for five years. During the pandemic, Ben took up whittling. He has whittled sculptures of animals, skulls and eyes. He also sang in the Northampton High School a capella group, a group his sister Claire sang in when she attended Northampton High School as well.

Ben and Floyd are also rock climbers. They go to Central Rock Gym in Hadley, the Smith College rock wall, and outdoor climbing locations as well. Claire also grew up rock climbing with Floyd and Ben. She graduated from Wheaton College in 2021, and now works as a Communications and Development Officer for New Hope Inc. near Providence, an organization that assists victims of domestic violence.

Floyd’s mother, Mabel, recently moved in with them from Las Vegas. Mabel moved into a tiny house on the Cheungs’ property, which was built by Wright Builders, in June. The tiny house is known as “the party house” because Mabel has a big screen television and a karaoke machine inside. Friends and family have gathered in the tiny house to sing karaoke.

Mabel describes the house as her “dream house.” Mabel has also been practicing tai chi for more than ten years. “I really love the Northampton Senior Center,” Mabel said. In addition to practicing tai chi there, she also attends knitting and crocheting groups at the Northampton Senior Center. “I feel like a country mouse now,” she said, describing her move from Las Vegas to Northampton. “Everyone at the Northampton Senior Center is very friendly.”

The Cheung family also has two cats, Noel, who was found on Christmas day by the adoption agency who rescued him, and Bella, who was adopted from the same agency. As a family they enjoy going to concerts at Tanglewood in Lenox in the summer, as well as those held at Black Birch Winery in Hatfield. “We like music, the arts and great food,” Floyd said. Floyd Cheung is a part of the local literary community as well, as he is involved with Straw Dog Writers’ Guild. Floyd has also contributed to the 30 Days, 30 Poems project, which raises money for the Center for New Americans each November.

Floyd and Sheri sing in the choir at their church, Edwards Church of Northampton, where they have been active in volunteer programs. Sheri also enjoys cooking and gardening. They participate in the Hot Chocolate Run, a 5K run that serves as a fundraiser for Safe Passage. Because the family loves to sing, one of their fondest memories is of a time at the beginning of the pandemic, after the church choir temporarily shut down and the a capella group was not able to meet, when they participated in a virtual singing project. “I just remember the four of us standing in a circle to practice, singing this beautiful song. It was this moment of us coming together as a family, doing something all four of us loved,” Sheri said. The song they sang was “Sing Gently” by Eric Whitacre, who organized the project.

The Cheung family regularly takes trips to Star Island in New Hampshire, where they enjoy communal dining and other communal activities, as well as the island’s beauty. Star Island is known for its spiritual and creative opportunities in addition to being a beautiful place. They also enjoy camping at Emerald Lake State Park in Vermont. The family took a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains by way of North Carolina this year to celebrate Ben’s graduation from Northampton High School. They chose the Blue Ridge Mountains because years ago Floyd and Ben took a camping trip there, just the two of them. They enjoyed stopping along the Blueridge Parkway at different outlooks and visiting Looking Glass Falls.

Part of what the Cheungs enjoy about living in Tinkham Woods is the sense of community. Floyd described a time when neighbors came together after a big storm to help clear branches and debris from each other’s yards. Neighbors have also come together to support each other in times of grief and loss. When asked to share a greeting with their neighbors, the Cheungs were inspired by their church in saying: “Whoever you are, you are welcome here.”