HOLMDEL – The members of the Holmdel Township Committee have unanimously agreed to pursue a mother’s request to memorialize her late son with a fun community asset.
During a committee meeting on Nov. 12, Deputy Mayor Michael Nikolis said, “On Christmas last year, we lost one of our young residents, Alex Ching. The family reached out to me and told me they would like to memorialize and honor Alex with a dog park in Holmdel.”
Nikolis said Alex’s mother, Lisa Ching, owns a service dog that she brings to local schools. He said the family is seeking guidance from municipal officials as to how they should proceed when planning a dog park in remembrance of their son.
On a roll call vote, Mayor Eric Hinds, Committeeman Greg Buontempo, Committeeman Rocco Pascucci and Nikolis voted “yes” to move forward with the planning of a dog park in honor of Alex. Committeeman Tom Critelli was absent.
According to his obituary, Alexander Eng Ching died at the age of 24 after battling a cancer diagnosis since the age of 7.
“There were very few people who knew that Alex went to bat with this disease through the rest of his life. That was because he never let it define him,” the obituary states.
On Nov. 14, Lisa Ching said her son had been fond of dogs his entire life.
“When (Alex) passed away, we wanted to channel our grief into something positive,” she said. “We knew we had to make a tangible difference. We really have to honor Alex. Our family started brainstorming ideas.”
In deciding how to honor Alex, Ching reflected on her son’s positive spirit, his creativity, determination and what she described as a desire to enjoy life.
“Nothing would stop him,” she said of her son, and after careful consideration, Ching asked herself, “What made Alex happy?”
“His life sort of centered on dogs,” Ching said. “We have a dog and (Alex) had a dog when he was growing up … Even when Alex was 7 and in the hospital, there were therapy dogs.
“(Alex) did not like the nurses or doctors, but the dogs brightened his day. The dogs would come in (to the hospital room) and his whole mood would change. He would relax,” she said.
Alex, who lived and worked in New York City, dreamed of owning a dog. Because his health was often an issue, Ching said, he could not care for a dog.
He would still frequent a dog park, Ching said, adding that Alex would often invite her to accompany him.
Ching recalled a fond memory about her son.
“A couple of months before (Alex) passed away, my husband and I went to a park with Alex in New York. (Alex) found (an event) on Facebook where there would be a gathering of Corgis.
“Alex loved these dogs. I thought, ‘Don’t we need a Corgi if we are going?’ Alex said no. So we went and the (Corgis) were hilarious. Alex was just in heaven,” Ching said.
Ching said creating a dog park in honor of Alex would be “a great asset to the town, too. Alex is the inspiration, but this is also a community project.”
A location for the proposed dog park, which may be called “Alex’s Paw Park,” has yet to be determined, Ching said.
Ching is a member of the Holmdel First Aid Squad. Alex, who was a former member, encouraged his mother to join the squad with him when he was a teenager.
Nikolis called Ching an “invaluable member of the squad.”