All Friends and Family are Welcomed:

Visitation: 04/28/16 from 6-9pm at 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, Canada

I had a hard time writing this obituary because it is my first and last time..

I grew up with my grandmother, Chao Ran, and started taking care of her at 16 years old and I was privileged to learn about patience, compassion and forgiveness through a historical lens. She was an incredibly wise woman at age 94 and her story began with the fall of the Qing Dynasty. She was part of a family of royal physicians 同仁堂within the Forbidden City dating back to 1669 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongrentang. Her world was utterly changed when she became a factory worker after WWII, the Cultural Revolution, labor camps and the Great Leap Forward. Regardless of her status, she continued to donate for decades to relatives and friends to help them through mayhem and obtain food and education. Her generosity has touched the lives of generations of people including many of my classmates and friends in Singapore, Canada and USA. Her strength of character enabled her to give to others even during her own hardships while maintaining a Joie de vivre and enthusiasm for life. She practiced English in her 90s, played with my iPad, and traveled to San Francisco right before she was hospitalized. My grandmother has always said in Mandarin, “When you work your toes into the sand, feel the tiny delicious pain of friction of tiny chips of silicon against the tender flesh between your toes. That's life. It hurts, it's dirty, and it feels very, very good. Relish your feelings and live in the present, Amanda. Launch yourself on every wave, and find your eternity in each moment. “ Grandma you are loved and remembered always.