Maureen Ann Sie

Maureen, Pao Shi Ping, was born in Anhui, China and was raised as an only child. She chose her English name while attending high school in Taiwan. Deciding to venture to the United States, she earned a scholarship to Marymount College in Iowa, where she majored in American History. The nuns quickly acclimated her to America and Maureen was off and running. She was an excellent student and remarkably industrious.

After college she moved to Chicago. Always employed, she supported herself and sent funds to her parents. Some of her jobs included kindergarten teacher, transcriptionist for a pathologist and city employee. While spending a summer in New York City, she worked in the payroll department at the United Nations, where she saw many dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth. Never one to be idle, she explored the Big Apple and started making friends. One fateful evening at a Chinese Students’ Association event she met Charles Sie. They had a whirlwind romance and developed a group of life-long friends.

After marrying in 1958, they started their family with the arrival of Michael followed by Kathleen 11 months later. Angela’s arrival 4 years later would complete the family. Then in 1965 Charlie took the family to Iowa State University to pursue graduate education in electrical engineering. Within a year of moving to Ames, Maureen decided to pursue her own graduate degree in education and statistics, earning her doctoral degree while raising three young children.

After Maureen and Charlie completed their graduate studies, they had a commuter marriage with Maureen managing the home and Charlie working distantly. During those years, Maureen worked for the Michigan State Department of Education, and the Birmingham School District. Ultimately, she became a tenured professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. She found great professional fulfillment and expected to have a long career in academia.

While raising the children and working on her career, she also served as coach and partner to Charlie as he managed his postdoctoral path. She helped him with his writing and was his confidante as he managed corporate politics. He developed a burning desire to move to California for the better weather and more inclusive environment, eventually securing a position with Xerox in El Segundo, California. Maureen would stay in Michigan for several years to allow Mike and Kathy to complete high school. Reluctantly, she left academia to work at The Aerospace Corporation where she used her expertise in statistics to manage benefits. They made their home in Palos Verdes in 1978.

From the beginning Maureen was remarkably independent. She emigrated to the United States and embraced opportunities while maintaining her Chinese sensitivities and values. She took great pride in her calligraphy. She was intelligent and pragmatic, consistently making decisions that were logical despite societal norms and expectations. She always worked hard and was capable of accomplishing anything. She recognized what was important and was able to look beyond trivialities. Among her circle of friends, she provided a great deal of career mentorship.

Maureen was the matriarch of her growing family that included six grandchildren. She shared her opinions and expectations openly, never dwelling on her many accomplishments. She endured racism and sexism but never let them defeat her spirit, drive and goals. In fact, she learned from those experiences and shared her wisdom with her children and grandchildren, as well as her many friends. She took great joy in feeding her children and grandchildren delicious Chinese food while sharing her opinions about hard work, persistence and the power of education. She was frugal with herself yet generous with others.

Our wonderful, smart, opinionated, hard-working, loving and much-loved matriarch has passed away to join our father for their next adventure. We hope they laugh, argue, and stir things up together, knowing that their legacy lives on.