Julie Shao-Hua Beaver

We said goodbye to our beloved friend, Julie Shao-Hua Beaver, on March 3, 2023 at 11pm. Julie suffered from terminal illness after a 10-year battle with breast cancer. She left behind her beloved son, Jackson Beaver, who attends high school in Rockville, Maryland; one brother, his wife, two nephews, and one younger sister in Toronto, Canada.

Julie was born on October 27, 1962 in the city of Toishan, Guangdong province, China. She grew up during the tumultuous years of the cultural revolution under the leadership of Mao’s communist party. Her father was a local government official, mother was a salesperson at a trading company. She has an older brother and a younger sister. Life was difficult in the countryside. The family burned wood and branches as fuel to cook meals. Julie couldn’t go to school until she was 10. Everyday after school, she would go up the hill to collect wood for the household. Julie was an intelligent and hardworking student. From elementary school to middle school, she was always the top of the class, rarely in the second place. In 1978, she entered the most reputable high school in Toi Shan, and in 1980, with academic excellence, she entered the Medical college of Guangzhou. Julie aspired to be a medical doctor knowledgeable in both Chinese and western medicine. After graduation, she worked at the Customs and Border Disease Prevention center. In 1993, her brother petitioned the family to immigrate to Canada, Julie therefore landed in Toronto, Canada in 1994, along with her mother and sister. In the same year, her cousin invited her to move to Vancouver. She feverishly learned English while making ends meet as a salesperson or as an acupuncturist.

Julie moved to the United States in early 2000 after meeting her late husband, Howard Beaver. They got married in San Antonio, Texas. In 2001, Julie received her permanent residence (green card) in the United States. She dedicated herself to obtain higher education and chose to study biostatistics because of her love of math and medical science. She excelled in all her classes, eventually receiving a Master’s degree in Biostatistics from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer center in Houston. After much patience, God finally granted them a happy and healthy son, Jackson Sunny Beaver, in 2006. He was the apple of her eye. After graduation, Julie worked at various federal government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Defense, and National Institute of Health (NIH), and in various states including New York and Washington, D.C., finally settled in Maryland. Julie always strive for excellence and produced exemplary results at her workplace. She was generous and always remembered others’ kindness. She maintained many longtime friendships, even when they no longer work together.

In 2010, Julie’s husband succumbed to leukemia. She shouldered multiple responsibilities as a breadwinner and a single parent. She remained dedicated to nurturing young Jackson, providing him many opportunities in sports and language development. She continued to educate herself, earned a real estate agent license and purchased properties to secure their future. Julie learned of her diagnosis in 2014. Despite of all the health concerns, she maintained employment and independence while receiving treatments. She lived an active lifestyle, often going to tournaments with Jackson, taking walks, and even won table tennis championships! In 2020, the stress from work and metastasis from cancer forced Julie to retire from her profession.

Julie will be remembered as a loving mother, a generous friend, and a fearless warrior.

Friends may call at DeVol Funeral Home, !0 East Deer Park Drive, Gaithersburg, MD on Saturday, March 11, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM where a Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 AM.

Interment will be held at Parklawn Memorial Park on Sunday March 12, 2023 at 1:00 PM.