Joanne Gay (née LOUIE) Mah

Survived by Hugh, her husband of 55 years, sons Julian and Ryan, brothers Russell and Douglas, Aunts, Helen Lim and Maye Louie, Uncle Gerald Delaine, 32 first cousins and extended family covering four generations.

Joanne was a child of Chinatown, both Vancouver and Victoria locales. Her mother, Pearl Hope was born in Victoria; her father Tim Louie in Vancouver. As soon as she could talk, it was clear Pearl and Tim had spawned a high octane bundle of energy with unbridled curiosity and an incessant string of questions. Victoria visits to Pearl's parents, Joseph and Ada Hope, provided a more patient and doting milieu to quell curiosity in English and Cantonese. Ada, a skilled seamstress, dressed Joanne in beautiful outfits from age two, seeding her lifelong passion for fashion and fabrics.

Elementary education began in Vancouver Chinatown at a Catholic school with Chinese studies after. She rode to school every day with her father who, together with his eight brothers and two sisters, operated a wholesale goods and produce business. started in the 1920's by their father H. Y. Louie. After Chinese lessons, she had time to absorb the scents and sounds of the bustling enclave until her father finished work. Fluent in Cantonese, she spent time with Grandmother Louie and with her aunts and uncles in the family home on East Georgia Street. It was a busy, noisy, hurly-burly setting that shaped Joanne's zest for life, and the constant jousting for attention honed her budding advocacy skills.

After attending King Edward High School, Joanne enrolled in The University of British Columbia (UBC) and earned her Bachelor of Science (BSc) in 1962. Her fluency in Cantonese landed Joanne her first post-degree position as a flight attendant with Canadian Pacific Airlines for its Vancouver - Hong Kong Tokyo route. The return flights to Vancouver often carried Asian children enroute to adoptive families in Canada. These brief but up-close encounters motivated her caring side and she decided to pursue a degree in social work (BSW) which she completed in 1965. She had found her calling and gained experience from positions with government agencies and youth groups in Vancouver and Toronto. She completed a Master of Social Work (MSW) at the University of Toronto in 1968.

She met her husband, Hugh Mah, in Toronto, and they married in 1969. First son Julian was born in 1971 and the family moved to Vancouver the same year; second son Ryan arrived in 1979. Joanne did two nine-year stints as a counsellor to students and faculty, first at Capilano College and then Emily Carr College. Interspersed with these positions was a move to Hong Kong in 1985-88 where she counselled students and families planning relocation to Canada, and advised Canadian educators on establishing schools in Hong Kong.

Returning from Hong Kong in 1988, Joanne joined a private counselling practice and furthered her interest in arts and fashion, joining the boards of the Canadian Crafts Museum and Centre A. During the 1998-2000 period, more of her practice involved issues related to ethics and corporate governance resulting from the sea of bankruptcies and fraud arising from the DotCom bubble havoc at that time. Adjusting to this demand, she developed a syllabus to address these growing ethics concerns and landed a position with ENPC-MBA School in Paris to teach ethics there and to associated MBA programs in Japan and Morocco.

Her exceptional counselling skills augmented with post graduate teaching led to her appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC, a position that was renewed for 25 consecutive years, including 2025. There she guided her students in the non-science aspects of medical practice. Between semesters, she helped her dear friend, world-renowned fabric artist Joanna Staniszkis showcase her designs at events in major North American cities and in Berlin, Barcelona and Johannesburg. A decades-long fashion and travel adventure for two best friends!

Joanne's love of nature began by accompanying her father on fishing trips, duck hunting with beloved labradors and skeet shooting sessions. She was equally at home on a 12-foot dinghy in Pender Harbour or a 70-footer on the South China Sea; with fish and chips on the dock or dover sole at Le Crocodile; with bingo at the PNE or slots at the Bellagio; Joanne was always game. She loved dancing especially to Bossa Nova rhythms learned from trips to Brazil.

She was the first born of her generation of 31 first cousins born to the nine sons and two daughters of her father's family, and to three first cousins born to Wilfred and May Sung, Pearl's sister. She bonded with all four generations and was a connecting element to the family's history. Her foundational interest in all family members' lives and her fierce loyalty to honoring family heritage are lasting hallmarks of her legacy. The void she leaves is unfillable; the love, admiration and respect will endure.

A special thank you to Vancouver General Hospital staff in Emergency and Acute Care units for their exceptionally responsive and compassionate care.

A memorial service will be held at 10AM, February 28, 2025 at Ocean View Cemetery Chapel, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby, BC V5J 1A4, followed by a lunch and celebration of life at 1PM at the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5K2.

In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Vancouver Chinatown Storytelling Centre would be Joanne's wish.