Zhiqiang Janet Ma

It is with deep sorrow and much love that we mourn the passing of Zhiqiang Janet Ma, who peacefully left us on the morning of January 28^th, 2025, at the age of 69 years old in Ottawa, Canada.  

She was the loving wife of Jing Li for 43 years, incredible mother of Karen, and caring, fun grandmother “Nai Nai 奶奶” of three grandchildren, Kairei, Jayden and Ethan. Janet was predeceased by her father Jingbo Ma, mother Yun Zhen, and sister Zhigang Ma. She is survived by her husband Jing Li, daughter Kunmin Karen Li, sisters Zhixiong Ma and Zhiyong Ma, and brother Zhiwu Ma.  She also leaves behind many beloved family members and friends who will miss her dearly.

Janet was born in China. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering at the Central South University of China and worked as a professor at the same University.  She moved from China to Japan at the age of 31, where she completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering and worked as an assistant professor at the University of Kanazawa. To explore more in the world, she ventured to Canada at the age of 41 and worked as an Electrical Engineer in Toronto, Ottawa, Burlington and Vancouver for over 20 years. She formed lasting friendships wherever she went—always loyal and generous to those she loved.

She loved travelling. Her adventurous spirit took her to many parts of the world. She was always keen to try new foods and learn about new technologies, languages and cultures. When the weather was nice, she could often be found outdoors cycling, hiking, skating, skiing, and gardening. She also enjoyed yoga, dancing, singing, swimming, playing volleyball, pickleball and tennis. At home, she was a master at making dumplings.  

For the last 2.5 years of her life, Janet courageously battled cholangiocarcinoma. No matter how hard things got, she never gave up hope. In lieu of flowers, should you wish to make a contribution in memory of Zhiqiang Janet Ma, please consider making a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society (https://cancer.ca/en/ways-to-give/in-memory-and-in-honour-donations). If you specify for the in-memory donation to go to the liver cancer research, it will help support the Canadian Cholangiocarcinoma Collaborative (C3) in their endeavors to transform care for patients affected by cholangiocarcinoma and their families.

The family of Zhiqiang Janet Ma would like to thank the medical team who took excellent care of her during her battle with cholangiocarcinoma, as well as the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation and the Canadian Cholangiocarcinoma Collaborative for their support. We would also like to thank all of our family and friends for their love and support.

Family and friends are invited to gather on Sunday, February 9^th, 2025 at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre (280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa) after 9:00 a.m. The visitation will be between 9:00-10:00am in the Sacred Space. The Ceremony will start at 10:00am, followed by a private reception.