Thelma C. Mau

Thelma C. Mau, a longtime resident of Laurel, died on March 16.

Thelma Ngo Chun was born in 1924 in what was then the Territory of Hawaii, the third child of Ngit Bo Chun and Lillian Siu Chun. She was a graduate of Roosevelt High School and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts. After graduation, she worked for the US Air Force in Honolulu, where she met William Tim Hoy Mau.

She and Bill were married in 1948, and in 1953, when their first child was a toddler, they moved from Hawaii to Virginia. It was the first time in her life that she had ever had to own a winter coat. After the birth of their second and third children, they settled in Laurel.

Thelma was a woman of faith, grace, and beauty who taught her children about kindness and generosity by her own example. She was a homemaker by choice for most of her life, a quiet, modest person who was happiest when she was cooking for her family and creating a home that was warm and welcoming for her children's friends. She especially delighted in watching her grandchildren grow up. She was a parishioner of St. Mary of the Mills Catholic Church in Laurel.
She valued books and music - an appreciation she passed on to her children and grandchildren - and she played the piano.

She is survived by her husband of 65 years, Bill Mau, two daughters, Debra Mau of Hawaii and Laverne Mau Dicker of California, and a son, David Mau of Maryland; a daughter-in-law, Chai Mau; a son-in-law, Kelly Dicker; four grandchildren, Jeremy Mau, Keri Mau, Melia Dicker, and Gillian Burgess, and one great-grandson, Evan Schwindaman. She is also survived by a sister, Katherine Jay of Hawaii. Thelma was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Elsie Lau, and her brother, Paul Chun.

A private memorial Mass will be held in Hawaii, where her ashes will be buried. Friends who wish to honor her memory may make memorial contributions in her name to a favorite charity.