Maisy Ho remembered as dedicated philanthropist and community servant

Heartfelt tributes continued to be paid to Maisy Ho Chiu-ha, remembered as a dedicated philanthropist, after the daughter of late Hong Kong and Macau tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun died on Sunday, having led a notably private life.On Monday, official statements and tributes poured in from government officials and associations to mourn the loss of Maisy Ho, who had devoted herself to serving the community.Maisy Ho was one of 17 children of “king of gambling” Stanley Ho, and one of five siblings born to Lucina Laam King-ying, the second of the tycoon’s four wives, who died in 2022.Maisy Ho was an executive director at family business Shun Tak Holdings.A profile of Maisy Ho on Shun Tak’s website, taken from the 2024 annual report and updated in July last year, listed her age as 57.She once told her alma mater, Pepperdine University in the United States, in the late 2010s, that she planned to devote the next five to 10 years to serving the community by using her knowledge, experience, personal connections and influence.Though she rarely came under the spotlight, she took up scores of public roles in addition to her position at Shun Tak.Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau praised Maisy Ho for her “profound dedication to community service” as a Hospital Authority board member and for caring for the underprivileged.“Even when she had fallen sick, she still attended HA’s [Hospital Authority] events to show her support for and concern about the development of public healthcare services,” Lo said.Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui expressed deep sorrow and extended her deepest condolences to her family.“She was committed to promoting arts and cultural development over the years, and she provided valuable advice during her tenure with the Council of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Advisory Committee on Arts Development,” Law said. “We are deeply saddened by her passing.”Maisy Ho (left) was involved in the redevelopment of Kwong Wah Hospital in 2016. Photo: HandoutBrother Mario Ho Yau-kwan shared a black-and-white photo of himself and Maisy smiling and making a hand gesture at a restaurant on Instagram.Further Reading“Maisy sister, rest in peace. Always bubbly, funny, hardworking. Gone too soon, we’ll miss you. You were a real G,” he wrote.Maisy Ho left behind her legacy to inspire community development and youth education, according to non-governmental organisations.She became a director at the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals in 2009 and helped drive medical, educational and historical culture initiatives during her tenure as chairman in 2015, the charitable organisation said in a social media post on Monday.The former chairman jointly donated a substantial sum with Shun Tak Holdings last year to support relief efforts at fire-hit Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the charity added.“Colleagues of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals will certainly uphold the patriotic sentiments and charitable ambitions of adviser Maisy Ho, carry forward the 150-year mission of our hospitals to heal the sick and relieve the distressed, care for the elderly and rehabilitate the disabled, promote education and nurture talents, and support the young and guide the youth, and continue to contribute to the development of the country and Hong Kong to benefit the community,” the charity wrote.Ho co-founded the Hong Kong Tai Chi Youth Charity Foundation in 2020 to promote this traditional martial art, the foundation said.“We are shocked to learn of the sudden passing of our director and close friend Maisy Ho, and upon hearing the news, all colleagues were astounded and overwhelmed with grief,” the foundation wrote.The Kowloon Federation of Associations said in a statement that the business executive made extensive contributions across volunteer services, youth education, medical care and women’s affairs.It regarded the honorary president as a role model who paid particular attention to the welfare of underprivileged groups.“Honorary president Maisy Ho loved the country, Hong Kong and Macau throughout life, harboured deep affection for the construction of the motherland and the harmonious development of society, made long-term selfless contributions, and actively took part in public welfare undertakings,” the federation said.The Queen’s College Old Boys’ Association “was deeply saddened” and said that Maisy Ho showed support for the alma mater of Stanley Ho by officiating the grand opening of the Stanley Ho Astronomical Observatory in February 2019.