Dora Hsia Mih's Obituary
On Thursday January 30, 2025, Dora Mih, beloved mother, grandmother, sister and aunt, passed away in her sleep, at age 89, in Palo Alto, California.
Dora was born on October 12, 1935 near Nanjing, China, to Wen Tsao Hsia and Chen-Ai Tao. As the eldest child with six younger siblings, Dora often helped her mother with the cooking and caretaking tasks for their large family.
Her family relocated to Taiwan in 1949. In Taiwan, Dora studied piano and excelled in academics at a girl’s school. Dora attended Taiwan University where she majored in English. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree, she won a scholarship to the University of California-Berkeley which enabled her to move to the U.S. and earn a Masters in Library Science. She met her husband Walter Mih through their Church, and they married on September 5, 1960. They raised two daughters (Rebecca and Valerie) and a son (Steven) in Pullman, Washington, near the town of Moscow, Idaho where Dora served as a Librarian at the University of Idaho.
As the first in her family to immigrate to the United States and receive U.S. citizenship, Dora persevered over decades to unify her family in the United States, filing numerous governmental petitions to bring over her parents and siblings who wished to move to the U.S. The successful completion of this process in the 1980’s brought her great joy.
Throughout her life Dora had an enduring love of music. She enjoyed singing during Church services at the Pullman United Methodist Church. Dora also made sure to infuse culture into her children’s lives, bringing them to concerts, performances and outdoor art festivals as often as possible. Later in life, she enjoyed ballroom dancing.
In addition, Dora was active with the Asian American community in the region, helping to start the Palouse Asian American Association in 1981 (PAAA, known as P-triple-A) and contributing for many years. In 2023, PAAA wound down its operations and honored the founding members, including Dora and Walter, with commemorative plaques in the historic Moscow 1912 Center.
Besides working as a librarian, Dora was a believer in continued adult education. Branching out, she pursued a realtor’s license and became a businesswoman. With her husband she co-founded the real estate company Evergreen Housing, serving Washington State University students and staffers.
After retirement, Dora enjoyed traveling the world with Walter, and visiting friends and family. She had a penchant for fine dining, particularly authentic Chinese cuisine which was difficult to find in Eastern Washington. She moved to California to be closer to her children and for several years she lived in Pacific Grove, California, where she and Walter would go on frequent walks by the ocean.
Dora is survived by her three adult children, Becky, Valerie and Steven, sisters Daisy, Connie, Eva, Sarah and brother Chester, four grandchildren and several nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
A funeral and memorial service will be held at 10:00am on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at the Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611, where family and friends will gather to celebrate Dora's life.
Remembrance donations may be made to the Asian American Comparative Collection Endowment Fund at the University of Idaho, a nonprofit educational organization which Dora supported during her lifetime. Information on donating can be found at https://webpages.uidaho.edu/aacc/future.htm.
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