Christina K. Hsu

Shrewsbury - Christina Y. Hsu was a beacon of light whose brilliance, smile, and positivity left an indelible mark on everyone she met. A scholar and eternal optimist, she combined intellect with imagination and lived her life with warmth, drive, and laughter.

Christina was born in Willimantic, Connecticut, where two of her favorite pastimes were satisfying an insatiable sweet tooth and waking up wicked early to watch hours and hours of Saturday morning cartoons with her older brother, Lloyd. At the age of eight, her family moved to Shrewsbury, Massachusetts — the town she would forever call home. Christina attended Paton Elementary and Shrewsbury Middle School, where she was admired by teachers for her acuity and respect for classroom decorum. Among her peers, she was known for her sweet demeanor, vast collection of pristine, frilly dresses, and aversion to physical education. Her bubbly personality made her a friend to everyone!

During her time at Shrewsbury High School, Christina threw herself wholeheartedly into everything she did. She was a proud member of the Chess Club, Math Club, and Science Club. She served as the President of Student Council, was deeply involved with the National Honor Society, managed the Varsity gymnastic team, Captain of the Varsity tennis team, played in the school orchestra, and graduated third in her senior class.

A natural performer, Christina LOVED singing and making up her own super-cheesy musical numbers. She played piano and violin with equal joy and was also known to spontaneously break out with improvised dance moves, which reflected the creativity of her youthful spirit.

Christina earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Management Science, with a concentration in Marketing and Information Technology, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1997. She was awarded the Sloan School of Management Senior Prize, served as Class Secretary, and helped bring classmates together through her work on the Reunion Committee. A proud member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Christina cherished the lifelong sisterhood and friendships she formed there. True to her effervescent spirit, she often used rainbow-colored pens for her problem sets, believing that even the toughest challenges should be fun!

From there, Christina began her extraordinary career, which took her across the country and through the hallowed halls of some of the world’s most innovative and prestigious companies. While living with four fellow MIT classmates in a spacious and fun-filled Wall Street apartment, she first worked as a financial analyst at Lehman Brothers in New York City before realizing a lifelong dream of working at The Walt Disney Company in Los Angeles. It was at Disney where her love of clean data and Mickey Mouse first converged. Her professional journey next took her to San Jose, where she joined the fledgling eBay Motors group – then the fastest-growing division within the early 2000s eBay juggernaut. As Head of Strategic Analysis, Christina helped shape the team’s growth and direction, while earning the title of “Motors’ Queen of Culture,” architecting a distinct team identity that still bonds its members to this day.

In 2002, Christina achieved another lifelong dream: she joined the class of 2004 at Harvard Business School to pursue her Master of Business Administration. At Harvard, Christina instantly made her mark through her distinctive style of leadership – values first, grounded in humanity, and full of kindness. Her study group notes were well sought after amongst the first year class, always impeccably written and often color coded. She was elected Chair of the Leadership and Values Initiative, served as Section Secretary, and was appointed Admissions Ambassador. Her beloved Section D affectionately referred to her as their “CEO” – Chief Enthusiasm Officer.

To nourish her lifelong love of Mickey Mouse, Christina rejoined The Walt Disney Company upon graduation from HBS and began her stellar career in marketing. At Disney, she was awarded Employee of the Quarter in 2005 and later rose up the ranks at Viacom/Nickelodeon - where her passion for cartoons, gaming, and storytelling found a perfect home. Marketing for Neopets at Nickelodeon was a natural fit for her. After all, she truly embodied the curiosity, playfulness, and whimsy of the brand’s target audience. Christina later spearheaded growth initiatives as Chief Marketing Officer at both Jumpstart and MakieLab, and ultimately found a home at Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) in San Mateo as their Senior Director of Strategic Planning and Business Operations. Here, she played a pivotal role in transforming PlayStation’s marketing team from a regional to a global organization that engaged with over 100 million gamers worldwide. She was also instrumental in creating the company’s first global marketing strategic plan - enabling the launch of PlayStation 5, the most successful console launch in the company’s history.

Throughout her career, Christina was known for her uncompromising excellence, vibrant creativity, natural leadership, and compassionate heart. She had a rare ability to balance sharp analysis with genuine empathy and an intuitive sense of what made people happy — a combination that made her an extraordinary marketer, strategist, manager, and mentor. Whether she was building an Excel model or crafting a brand story, Christina brought the same potent combination of enthusiasm, intelligence, and integrity to every interaction. She was exceptionally driven with unwavering dedication, consistently going above and beyond to perform with precision and purpose. A natural cheerleader, she was always ready to celebrate the success of others. Many who worked with her found not just a trusted colleague, but also a lifelong friend who inspired everyone to be a better version of themselves.

What mattered most to Christina wasn’t these accolades or accomplishments, but rather the people she loved—her friends and family. She found her greatest happiness in uplifting others through shared laughter, celebrating treasured moments with her relatives, and encouraging people to find confidence with clarity so as to move forward with renewed purpose. Christina’s support was never passive; it was always intentional and deeply personal. Whether she was guiding a colleague through the nuances of a career crossroads, comforting a friend through heartbreak, or being the one person who always answered the phone to simply listen; she gave her time and heart fully. Helping others was how she shared her love.

That love was rooted in the steadfast presence of her parents, whose strength and unwavering devotion shaped the way Christina showed up for others. Whether it was through her Baba’s optimistic laughter or through her Mama’s disciplined drive, her parents were her foundation. And throughout her life, her older brother Lloyd remained a guiding light – always knowing when to step in and when to stand back – setting a pathway of success for Christina to build upon in her own way. She was shaped and strengthened by the loving support of all her aunties and uncles, who stood beside her through every chapter of life with wisdom, warmth, and encouragement. And she held a special pride for her niece and nephew, Stephanie and Jeremy. Watching them grow into thoughtful, accomplished young adults filled her with great pride. She celebrated their milestones with genuine excitement and saw in them the best parts of the family she cherished most.

In 2012, Christina met the love of her life, Robert Lu, through a mutual friend at a party in Santa Monica. Christina and Robert married in 2018 at Disneyland – the happiest place on earth and a reflection of the magical bond they shared together. Robert always says that meeting Christina was the most blessed moment of his life. They truly loved each other. To him, she was all of the Christ-like qualities he strives to be; the paragon of the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Authenticly.

Although Christina never had children of her own, she was “A-ḿ,” “Auntie Hsu-Hsu,” “Auntie Rina,” “Chrissy,” “Gan-Mama,” and, of course, “Gu-Gu” to so many children She loved her Diet Coke, Boba Tea, Canadian chewing gum, gripping reality TV shows, live car chases on the news, international travel, precision colored markers, scrap booking, and paper crafting. Christina poured her heart into every handmade card she created, spending countless hours designing intricate works of art for those dearest to her. She showcased her beautiful creations, shared her tutorials, and inspired others with her artistry through her YouTube channel, Bubblegum Paper. These were her small joys that perfectly reflected her larger-than-life personality.

In 2019, Christina was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. She faced her cancer journey with unshakable courage and grace, defying medical odds and meeting every challenge head-on with determination, resilience and positivity. Christina passed away on Thursday, October 23, 2025. She was 50.

In addition to her husband, Robert Lu; Christina leaves behind her brother, Lloyd Hsu (Jan Foo); her beloved nephew, Jeremy, and niece, Stephanie; and her dearly cherished Mama, Mei-sheng Tai. Christina is reunited in peace with her Baba, Dr. Shih-kuan “Ken” Hsu, who passed away in February 2023.

Services:

California - Family and friends will honor and remember Christina’s life by gathering on Saturday, November 8th for visitation in Trinity Presbyterian Church, 1106 Alameda de Las Pulgas, San Carlos from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. followed by her funeral service at 11:30 a.m. The Rev. David Jahnke will officiate. A reception will follow in Fellowship Hall.

Massachusetts - Family and friends will honor and remember Christina’s life by gathering on Saturday, November 15th for visitation in the Parlor at First Congregational Church, 19 Church Road, Shrewsbury from 12 Noon - 1 p.m. followed by her funeral service at 1 p.m. in the church. The Rev. Holly MillerShank will officiate. Following the burial in Mountain View Cemetery a collation will be held in Gifford Hall at First Congregational Church.

Those wishing to view the livestream (and recording) of the service please use this link: https://www.fccsm.org/livestream

The family would like to thank everyone who has shown their love and support over these past few years. Your friendship has been the backbone of Christina’s life force. In lieu of flowers, donations in Christina’s honor may be made to the Dr. Ken Hsu Memorial Trust, which provides scholarships to Shrewsbury High School graduates. Checks can be made out to “Shrewsbury Public Schools | Dr. Ken Hsu Memorial Trust” and mailed or dropped off at the Shrewsbury Public Schools Business Office located at 100 Maple Ave. Shrewsbury, MA 01545

Additional tribute available here: https://www.online-tribute.com/ChristinaHsu

Arrangements by James + John Heald of The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street, Waltham.