Hung-Yee “Louisa” Lee Wagner Memorial Fund

Hung-Yee Wagner held many titles; an accomplished nurse, a beloved wife, and a dear friend, but most cherished was her role as a mother. Hung-Yee Wagner passed away on December 9, 2022, and is survived by her husband and four children, Hans, Sofia, Erik, and her youngest Anneliese, who is 13 years old. Any amount donated here will go towards Anneliese's college fund and any future private tuition. We thank you for your compassion and prayers for Hung-Yee's family.

If you'd like to avoid fees and send contributions to Sofia directly, you may do so through her Venmo @Sofia-Wagner

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A piece by Sofia following her mother's death.

In the spring of 2013, our mother, Hung-Yee “Louisa” Lee Wagner was diagnosed with stage IV ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer, a disease that usually affects younger people without a history of smoking. It came as a complete shock. For the next nine years she courageously fought the disease, going through chemo, radiation, targeted drug therapy, multiple hospitalizations, and disability caused by various therapies. Incredibly, she always managed to bounce back, working full time through 7 years of cancer treatment before being forced to retire due to her illness. On December 9, 2022, a day after my brother Erik’s birthday, she died peacefully in her sleep on hospice. She leaves behind a husband, 3 adult children, and my 13 year old sister, Anneliese.

We appreciate all of the love and support we have received from friends and family. In lieu of flowers or meals, please consider contributing to a fund for Anneliese’s education. Contributions will be added to her college fund and may also support future private school education. My mother was the primary breadwinner for most of her life and any money raised through our generous network will greatly support our family care for my sister Anneliese.

My mother was raised in the Xinjiang Region of China during the height of the Cultural Revolution. The child of a well respected doctor and intellectual from Shanghai, her family had been sent to remote Xinjiang in the extreme northwest corner of China by the infamous “Re-education Through Labor” system. Her childhood stories revolve around the rural landscapes of the Tian Shan mountain region, where her father served as an OBGYN and her mother was a nurse.

As a teenager, her family got the opportunity to move to Hong Kong. An avid student gifted with languages, my mother learned the new dialect of Cantonese within 3 months of arriving. Her dedication to her studies paid off when she was accepted to the University of Hong Kong, which, at the time, had a 2% acceptance rate. After reconnecting with extended family lost during the Cultural Revolution she decided to study abroad at Seattle University with their support. She received her nursing degree from SU and met my father, Robert, at the UW Husky Den cafeteria where they worked together as students.

My mom threw herself into motherhood with the same passion and dedication to excellence that she put into her studies and her work as a nurse at Providence and later Swedish Hospital. My two brothers and I had an idyllic childhood in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle before moving to West Seattle when I was 12. Fond memories include picking feral apples up off the street and stewing them at home, walks to the nearby Columbia City Library, co-op preschool in church basements, weekly Ethiopian food (couldn’t beat a $7 vegetarian platter that fed a family of 5!), handmade noodles for birthdays, and saving bread heels to feed the ducks at Seward Park. When I was in high school, my 44 year old mom went in for an elective surgery and came out without it. While on the operating table and receiving anesthesia, a nurse ran into the operating room and yelled, “Stop everything! Her pregnancy test came back positive!”

That was the first news I got of my baby sister, Anneliese.

In recent years, though the shadow of cancer loomed constantly, she managed to make several visits back home to Hong Kong, teach my little sister to write and speak Mandarin Chinese, and have several girls’ trips to the coast and other local destinations. In July, she was at my wedding and gave a wonderful speech. In October, she came to our post-wedding banquet. In November, her pain and other symptoms forced her to make the decision to go to hospice care. In December she died.

The loss of our mother has been devastating. Even though our mom had elected to begin hospice after debilitating pain and suffering and it was a known outcome, her death this Friday left us reeling in shock and pain. I cannot begin to describe the hole that she’s left in our hearts. She was the most wonderful mother I could have ever asked for. I had hoped that she would be here for other milestones in my life: for when I buy my first house, for when Anneliese grows into adulthood, for babysitting grandchildren and teaching them Chinese as well.

Since that cannot be, my next priority will be to support the rest of my family and especially my little sister. Thank you for your consideration and contributions.