SOUTH AFRICA

The Kai Chong family emigrated from China to South Africa, where Maureen was born on Dec 18, 1952 in Port Elizabeth. As a newly immigrated family, Maureen grew up with nothing, which she had to share with her 9 other siblings (7 brothers & 2 sisters). With a widowed mother, Maureen began her role as a care provider at an early age.

The racial tensions of the apartheid in South Africa inspired Maureen to work hard and be the top of her class despite the unfair odds. Upon graduating and not being able to afford going to university, she decided that the best opportunities lay elsewhere. Having met an Englishman named Neil, the apartheid forbade mixing of races, so she eloped to England for a few years to get married and eventually decided to immigrate to Canada for a fresh start and to build a new life.

CANADA

Her marriage to Neil produced her two sons (Sean & Tristan), both of whom she was extremely proud. With her family, she traveled the world to give her children every opportunity she never had. She was able to show her sons the world, teach them love, trust and honourable morals and provide them a university education.

Around the same time, she also started work as a secretary to her boss in the reinsurance industry. Without a formal university education, she was forced to climb the ranks through hard work and perseverance. She strove to learn all she could from those around her and years later became a senior executive, managing and teaching a team of employees with the same motherly love shown to her sons.

She put all her effort into being a great mother while at the same time building her career without sacrifice to either.

After working 35 years at her career in reinsurance, her company nominated her for Top Canadian Business Woman.

Read more about Maureen’s successful career here

MARRIAGE TO GARY

Years later, when her sons were finishing up university, she found a man who could make her laugh and take a step back to enjoy everything she had worked so hard to create. Although still unable to sit still without doing two things at once, Gary was indeed the well needed balance Maureen required in her life.

On Oct 14, 2006, Maureen married again to Gary O’Keefe in Bermuda, accompanied by her 2 sons and Gary’s 3 daughters, witnessed by long-time client and good friend Amadou Dabo and his wife Lise Themens.  Their life revolved around family, friendships, work, and travel.

DIAGNOSIS & FINAL DAYS

Having been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, she was given weeks to live. Being the resourceful and dynamic woman we all know, she decided it was time to tap into the long list of people she had helped throughout life. Good deeds from her past allowed her to reconnect with her cousin Patrick Soon-Shiong, a pioneer in the cancer industry who generously provided leading edge treatments to battle her life threatening disease.

From the bottom of all of our hearts – Thank You Patrick.

Knowing how much love she had from her friends and family, she wanted to keep everyone up to date on her journey through emailing periodical updates. For those who didn’t read or would like to reread her updates, thoughts and feelings, Maureen’s journey with cancer updates can be found here.

Throughout her one and a half years of chemo therapy treatments, it always amazed family and friends how radiant and healthy Maureen looked, despite living with one of the most deadly diseases. It would be extremely difficult for anyone other than Maureen to push forward with such an unrelenting attitude towards an against-all-odds situation. However her good deeds, will power (and Patrick) allowed her one and a half more years of quality life where she was able to spend time with Gary at their house in Phoenix, host many gatherings to unite family and friends and attend the marriage of her youngest son Tristan.

Towards the end Maureen was not sad or in pain but instead wanted to convey that “everyone needs to make time to be together”

Having lived her life with the utmost honour, it should please everyone to know that she passed holding her head high without regret, having lived a short but full life.

She would be happy to know that her sons are extremely grateful for her sacrifices, wisdom, exemplary actions and unconditional love. They will forever strive to be like her and when confronted with a difficult decision will always ask “what would mom do?”