Mei C. Yang

Mei Chiu Yang, age 87, of Williamsburg, Virginia passed away on Wednesday, October 16, 2024. She was born in Taichung, Taiwan on October 14, 1937. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Jieh C. Yang, M.D.

Mei was a 1961 graduate of the National Taiwan University in Taipei Taiwan, receiving her B.S. in Agricultural Chemistry. From 1961-1962, she worked as a medical technician for the US Naval Medical Research in Taipei, unit #2, assisting with The Determination of MG and CI-tissues Infected with Cholera.

She went on to earn her M.S. in Nutritional Biochemistry in 1964 from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois where she served as a research assistant studying “Vitamin E and Lipid Metabolism” from 1964-1967. During the same time period of 1966-1967, she worked for the University of Chicago in Illinois as a research assistant with the Department of Biochemistry, studying “Vitamin B12 Biosynthesis”.

The following year, she continued her study of clinical biochemistry as a medical technician at the Little Company of Mary Hospital, Evergreen Park Chicago, Illinois, then at Georgetown University Hospital, Washington D.C., 3800 Reservoir RD from 1968-1969.

Between 1969-1971, she continued her tenure with Georgetown University Hospital Medical School in the Department of Pediatrics as a research associate, focusing on “Inborn Error Metabolism Leukocyte Maturation NBT Dye Reduction Test and G6PD Deficiency and Liability”, and trained in immunology.

Along with her 1964 Master Thesis publication “Characterization of a Potassium Ferricyanide Oxidation Product of Vitamin E” (written as Mei Chiu for the University of Illinois), Mei also wrote 10 journal publications.

After retiring from her long medical career in 1978, she received her Certificate of Principals of Real Estate in Hampton, Virginia where she became a business owner, and received a degree in Fortran/Computer Math, Structure of COBOL, and Accounting I from Christopher Newport College, Newport News from 1979-1980.

Mei was a deacon and one of the founders of Peninsula Chinese Baptist Church (PCBC) in Grafton, Virginia. PCBC was initiated in June of 1989 by our mother church in Virginia Beach. In 1992, Mei was selected as one of the six Executive Council (EC) members, and in 1993, selected as one of the four deacons. In 1990 and 1991, there were no EC members, thus Mei became one of the first at PCBC, and had served as chairperson on the Church Building Committee since 1994.

Mei loved exercise such as running, water aerobics, and swimming. She also enjoyed cooking, gardening, fishing, and clamming. Family events, especially with her grandchildren and her church family, were one of her greatest joys. She also enjoyed good food and the various freedoms of the USA.

She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Nancy Yang Schumann, DDS (born 1968) of Williamsburg; son, Basil M. Yang (born 1974) of VA Beach; grandchildren, Jack E. Schumann (born 1999) of Williamsburg now of Mclean, Virginia, and Roan S. Schumann (born 2001) of Williamsburg now of Arlington, Virginia; older sister, Yu Hsia Chiu of Taipei, Taiwan; niece, Mei “Maddy” Kuo and her husband Alan Kuo of Irvine, California and their children James Kuo and Sherri Kuo Buehler of Irvine, California and Brooklyn, New York; her niece Amy Yang Ianuzzi and her husband Chris and their children Theo, Coleman and Virginia Ianuzzi of Charlotte, North Carolina; brother-in-law, Charles Yang of Newport News, Virginia and now of Charlotte, North Carolina; niece, Jenny Yang (Frank Gao) of Charlotte, North Carolina; nephew, Matthew Yang (Jacqueline Yu) and their daughter, Reyna of Northern Virginia.

A celebration of life for Mei will be held Friday, November 8, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Rd., Williamsburg, Virginia 23188. Visitation and interment are by invite of the family only.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donate to the American Diabetes Association in Mei’s memory, https://diabetes.org/.