Douglas Yuan Tung Ma

Douglas Ma was born on July 17th, 1951, in Pingtung, Taiwan. Since the passing of his biological father at the tender age of 6, Douglas’s mother, Sharon Shang, was left widowed and had the heavy responsibility of raising three children: Doris, Douglas, & Danny. Unfortunately, the burden eventually became too great. Douglas was temporarily sent to an orphanage to try and stabilize the family’s finances. His mother worked at China Airlines as an accountant to support her children. Douglas’ younger brother, Danny, was adopted by his uncle, and Doris, the oldest and only girl, stayed with her mother. One can only imagine the anxiety and sadness of separating the family.

During Douglas’ time at the orphanage, one can surmise that he was a quick study and charismatic from the start if he was anything like the adult version of himself. He always sought out friends and eventually found himself joining the choir group. His biggest praise during his time at the orphanage was when Madam Chiang Kai-shek (or Madam Chiang) came to watch the choir performance at the orphanage. She was very captivated by my father, praised him based on his performance, and became her favorite child at the orphanage; this was by far the fondest and most cherished memory that Douglas would hold onto. Even with his cheery and charismatic personality, life at the orphanage was lonely as he saw other children’s parents come by and drop off food. Since his mother was busy supporting the family, his big sister, Doris, would come by to see him and drop off food, sometimes accompanied by Danny. These visits helped Douglas get through the loneliness of the orphanage, and from there, he would always see his big sister as a source of support and comfort.

During Sharon’s time at China Airlines, she would meet Dr. Chen-Luan Ma, where they began communicating through long-distance letters and, eventually, fell in love. She married Dr. Ma in February 1964 and soon settled in Austin, Texas, in the mid-1960s, where they made a life for all three kids. High school in the 60s, especially in Texas and as a minority, meant that you often had to grow a thick skin and stand up for yourself. Part of what helped Douglas fit in was his involvement in the martial arts. In fact, most physical activities and sports came naturally to Douglas, including swimming. At one point, Douglas was one of the elite lifeguards for the city’s main swimming pool, which was considered to be a high honor and came with a lot of responsibility.

As time went on, Douglas met Sylvia in Taiwan during one of his visits. Eventually, they would get married. While things didn’t work out in the end, they had a son, Alexander Ma. At that point, Douglas would pour his every being of soul and energy into raising Alexander. Douglas was an entrepreneur involved in import/export, creating and managing restaurants and bars, and property management. Douglas was caring and above all, selfless.

Throughout Douglas’ life, he had a myriad of health issues. Douglas spent the remainder of the last decade in San Francisco, where he lived with his mother, son, and daughter-in-law, Christina. He enjoyed going to the movie theatre, eating his favorite restaurants, and spending time with friends and family. He spent his time relaxing, chatting with friends, and driving to the ocean to watch the sunset.

On December 28th, 2021, he passed away at 5 am at the University of California, San Francisco. He is survived by his one and only son, Alexander Ma, accompanied by his wife, Christina Ma. Even though this was a sudden and bittersweet event, only those who truly knew Douglas’ character would eventually find relief and solace that Douglas’ spirit is freed from the limitations of this physical world, and he can now go wherever his soul desires.