A Wonderful Life – Yi Luo

Yi was born into a large family in Beijing on March 27, 1955. He was the youngest of seven children and cherished by his parents and elder siblings. After graduating from Liuliqiao High School in 1974, Yi was assigned to work on a farm for re-education purposes in Daxing County, a rural Beijing countryside, during the Cultural Revolution. When the National College Entrance Exams were restored in 1977, Yi was admitted with distinction into one of the best schools in China, Qinghua University, majoring in Electrical Engineering. In 1982, he was accepted into the graduate program at the Automation Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Upon completion of his Master’s Degree in 1984, he worked at the Automation Institute for two years up until his departure for his Doctorate studies in Budapest, Hungary in 1986. After receiving his PhD in Budapest in 1993, Yi relocated from Europe to North America, settling down in Ottawa, Canada. He worked as a post-doc at Carleton University and also began his career as a software engineer. In 2004, Yi moved once again, this time to Cupertino, California.

His professional path brought him to companies such as Nortel Networks, Visual Project, Cisco, Capital One, and finally to Juniper Networks in 2004 where he worked until 2007. Yi was always responsible and diligent with his work, willing to help out co-workers, and to stay later at the office to finish projects. He took pride in his job and found joy in his work.

As much as Yi loved his profession, he was just as dedicated to his family. He married Xuesong Xiao in September of 1983, and together they have two daughters, Anran and Wanning, aged 20 and 13. Despite his busy days at work, Yi always made time to spend at home, teaching his daughters to play piano, chess, tennis and encouraging them to become more active and healthy. He and his wife loved, trusted, and supported each other in their 24 years of marriage, especially during difficult times such as a 9 month long period when Yi was unemployed due to hi-tech recession in Ottawa. He was a filial son to his parents, returning to Beijing to visit them as much as he could. He was also a loving brother, doing his best to be there for his siblings. Yi’s love and care for his family cannot be measured in empirical calculations or expressed by words.

Yi also made many contributions to the communities that he lived in, being involved with the Chinese schools, choirs, Tai-Chi clubs, and also participating in events organized by his university alumni networks. He believed in going for what he wanted and living without regrets, and once he set his mind to something he never gave up without a fight. He loved singing, playing piano, all forms of music, chess, and he was also knowledgeable in fields of studies outside his work such as history, politics, and the fine arts. He enjoyed good humor, good and bad jokes, and anything that gave people a good laugh.

Although Yi has left us in this world, his smile and kind-heartedness will forever be with us in our hearts and memory. He lived it to its fullest capacity, and he would want his family and friends to celebrate his life, and to remember every moment of happiness.

- Luo Yi's family, 10/21/2007