Lotus Lee

Lotus Ma Lee, age 99, passed away peacefully at Meadowood Health Pavilion in Bloomington, IN, where she had been living contentedly since July 2011. She was born in China as Rebecca Ho Hing Du and brought up in Hong Kong. In the 1930s she moved to London to marry Nick Siu Hong Ma, with whom she had two children. She worked there briefly as a movie actress (under the name Lotus Fragrance), and helped with the war effort. She left London in mid-1941 and lived out World War II working in Bombay, India. After her marriage dissolved, she and her daughter immigrated to the US in 1946 to embark on a new life. She settled in Los Angeles where she had a long and successful career as a legal assistant and translator/interpreter for an immigration lawyer specializing in clients from Hong Kong and mainland China. She supported the LA classical music scene and enjoyed playing the piano. In 1962, she married Donald Lee, a professional photographer, and they had an active life together filled with their work, music, and travel.

Lotus was preceded in death by her husband Donald. She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Roxana Ma Newman and her husband, Prof. Paul Newman, of Bloomington; her son, Dr. Francis Ma and his wife, Dr. Lily Ma Tung, of Hong Kong; her step-daughter, Lynda Boyer, of San Francisco; four grandchildren, Dr. Daniel Ma, Lucas Ma, Esther Ma, and Michael Newman; four great-grandchildren; nephews and grand-nephews and -nieces. Lotus was a woman of exceptional beauty, grace, and compassion, whose wit, intelligence, and generosity of spirit were an inspiration to all who knew her. A memorial celebration will be held for her in Los Angeles in April.

Arrangements for Lotus Lee are being handled by Day Funeral Home, Bloomington, Indiana.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.DayFuneralServices.com.