Chuan-de Li

Chuan-de Li

August 3, 1923 – May 22, 2023

Our beloved mother passed away peacefully in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania at the age of 99.

Mother was born in Suzhou, China. Her family valued education and provided the means for her to obtain a formal education at a time in China when most girls didn’t have an opportunity to go to school, let alone college. But she graduated from the famous FuDan University in Shanghai, and became a banker. Later she changed her career to teaching. She was a well-loved high school mathematics teacher for 33 years.

In 1971 our father died, and Mother had to endure a difficult life with three teenage daughters and two aging parents. She showed her strength and discipline, and sacrificed her own interests in order to raise us successfully. She taught us to be independent with open minds, and she encouraged us to seek self-fulfillment with or without college educations. At the time, China’s education system was totally interrupted due to the Cultural Revolution, so she supported us to pursue whatever interests we had.

After mother’s retirement in 1986, she moved to the U.S. and later to Canada, to be with her three daughters and their families. In her golden years, she enjoyed traveling, meeting friends and learning new things. Her life was full and active, happy and healthy. She traveled to many places and made many friends. She also visited China every two years to see her brothers and old friends until the Covid pandemic lockdowns made travel too difficult.

Mother lived a long and proactive life, and was mostly independent. Although she looked delicate, she was strong and resilient. She was always optimistic, even during the most difficult times in her life. Mother was frugal to herself, but extremely generous to others. She always remembered to send birthday wishes and gifts to all her loved ones.

Mother was well loved by her family, including her grandsons and granddaughterin-law. Almost every Christmas she was surrounded by us all, and enjoyed being the center of attention. She also kept in close communication with her brothers and nephews in China via Zoom calls.

Mother had many friends in China, the US and Canada. She also had hundreds of former students who organized parties in her honor every time she visited Shanghai.

Mother was preceded in death by her husband You-er Liu of Shanghai China, and survived by daughter Rena Liu-Belshe and her husband Michael Belshe of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, daughter Ruying Liu and her husband Sanping Chen of Ottawa, Canada, daughter Ruqi Lai and her husband Choi Lai of Dallas Texas, grandson Brian Chen and his wife Samantha Fang of New York City, and grandson Kevin Lai of New York City.

We are so proud and thankful for mother’s remarkable life. She will live in our memories forever!

The family plans to honor mother’s memory at the Capital Funeral Home & Cemetery in Ottawa, Canada later in the summer this year.