Mei-Ying Liang

Mei-Ying "Cathy" Chen Liang passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, October 28, 2017, at the age of 88, after a brief period of adjustment to life without her husband of 63 years. She spent her childhood in Fujian, China, and moved to Taipei, Taiwan at the age of 18 to attend National Taiwan University. Originally majoring in Chinese literature, she switched to plant pathology for better job opportunities, while concurrently working as a schoolteacher, in order to pay for her tuition. Upon graduation, she was hired by the University as a lecturer, eventually becoming an Associate Professor of Public Health, which presented an opportunity to work for the World Health Organization in Australia, specializing in eradicating vector-borne infectious diseases. In 1969, she moved to Madison, WI, and attained her master's degree and PhD in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin. As a research scientist, she later worked alongside her husband as a Visiting Professor at the Beijing Agricultural University and Plant Protection Institute. She was a lifelong master gardener, favoring vegetables, unique flowers, and exotic plants. In addition, she was an adept knitter, honing her skills by knitting under the table during her lectures throughout college.

Mei-Ying is preceded in death by her husband, Tung-Ting Liang; brother, Mu-Tsing Chen; and niece, Gloria Tze-Ming Chen. She is survived by her daughters, Sara L. Wu and Shu-Chi Liang (Jay Ralph); granddaughters, En-Ling Wu and Kathleen Ralph; sister, Shih-Ying Chen Yuan; sister-in-law, Mei-Lin Chen; three nephews and two nieces.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, November 10, 2017, at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church, 110 N. Whitney Way, Madison, WI 53705; 10:00 a.m. visitation, 11:00 a.m. service, follow by burial.

In lieu of donations, we respectfully request that you share a personal memory of our mother, or take a moment to share your own family history with your loved ones, in her honor, for time is too short to wait.