Mary Jane Lee

Mary Jane Lee, aged 79, passed away suddenly on the night of August 11, 2024, in Sacramento, CA, due to acute respiratory distress syndrome. Born on January 13, 1945, in Columbus, OH, she was a cherished figure in her community and an accomplished academic.

A Celebration of Life for Mary Jane will be held at St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church on Friday, August 30, 2024, with a mass starting at 1pm PDT, followed by a reception at the same location. There will be an opportunity for guests to share memories of Mary Jane during the reception, and are encouraged to do so. Wearing black is always acceptable, although as part of Chinese tradition, we encourage you to wear white, or Mary Jane’s favorite color, purple, in her memory. For those who cannot be with us in person, an alternative livestream option will be available at the following links:

-Mass (1pm-2pm PDT): https://www.youtube.com/live/50FChNdpIok

-Reception (2pm-4pm PDT): https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/c24087055982215

Please send any flower arrangements to the funeral home, if prior to service date, or the service location here: 3235 Arden Way, Sacramento, CA 95825. If you would like to send anything else, please reach out to Isabella for their home address.

She is survived by her daughters, Isabella and Angelina Lee; siblings, Irene (Jerry) Scott, Mildred (John) Quan, and Eugene, Paul (Tsui), and Gina Lee; and a host of nieces and nephews. Mary Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald Ernst; and her parents, Gim and Fung Kwai Lee.

Mary Jane's early education was completed at St. Joseph Cathedral and Mohawk Junior High, followed by Central High School in 1963. She furthered her education at The Ohio State University, earning education and computer science degrees in ‘66 (BS), ‘71 (MS), and ‘78 (PhD). She was also a founding member of OSU’s Asian American Association student organization, which still exists today. Mary Jane dedicated much of her career to academia, serving as an Assistant Professor of computer science at North Carolina State University and Northern Arizona University, before joining California State University, Sacramento. There, she excelled as an Associate Dean of the Engineering and Computer Science department (nine years), alongside being an Associate Professor to Professor of computer science until her full retirement in 2019.

Mary Jane's life was marked by her loving, kind, and considerate nature. She was a respected colleague, mentor, friend, and family member, and a wise and gentle soul who will be deeply missed by all who knew her.

For more information regarding services, please feel free to call the funeral home office at 916-483-3297. We also encourage you to leave a message of comfort or condolence for the family here on this site, as your words of love and encouragement will help the family through this difficult time.

The staff of Lombard Funeral Home wishes your family comfort and peace during this time.