December 11 1995 June 25 2019
Annie Li Yang first arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina on December 11, 1995, born to exhausted but proud parents Di Yang and Liping Li. They had come to the United States from China with a nebulous dream of a better life for themselves and their daughter Liyuan. With Annie, this dream had already come to fruition. The saying goes that Monday’s child is fair of face, but Annie was beautiful inside. She brought so much joy and love and laughter to her parents and her older sister from the moment she came wrinkled and twinkling into the world. Three years later, she was joined by her younger sister Jennie. Two years after that, younger brother Richard came into her life. She took them under her wing immediately, rushing forward to guide them through the world even as she was learning her own steps. Precocious and bright, young Annie began her creative writing career with a flurry of mock-serious stories about her stuffed animals, giving each of them a name and a history, and composing beautifully hilarious conversations between them that never failed to bring her siblings delight. Ever the jokester, Annie’s sense of humor was a brilliant gem. She was the unofficial family provocateur and resident jester, always quick to throw out some truly wild comment, completely deadpan, that would stir up a storm of debate, or bring forth a devastatingly witty remark with just the right timing to send everyone into gales of laughter. Annie carried this truly exceptional ability with her outside of home, to the surprise and delight of teachers and peers alike. Protective and nurturing, she was deeply beloved by her younger siblings, sister Jennie and brother Richard. The three of them called themselves the Yangsters/JAR. Annie was the vowel, the middle letter, the glue that held this compendium of bright young people together. Annie was loved by her older sister Liyuan. The two of them grew up together, and for Liyuan Annie was something altogether indescribable and difficult to distill down into words. The first syllable of Annie’s name (Ān 安) translates to “safe” and “peace,” and that is precisely what she represented to her siblings, her family, and her circle of acquaintances at large. She paved the way for her younger siblings both academically and socially. She smoothed the difficulties of transition as her family moved from one state to another. She instinctively cared for everyone she met and gave of herself without measure. Annie always put others first. Her kindness and generosity of spirit was evident in the infinite number of trips she planned, dinners she scheduled, spontaneous yet so sweet and thoughtful gifts she always gave, papers and projects she worked on, and sleepless nights and long days she spent helping others without any expectation of reciprocation or reward. She was hardworking, brilliant, kind, generous – no finite amount of words could be used to describe her. She touched many lives in all the places that were lucky enough to hold her presence, and she will be missed dearly by many. Annie’s academic career was long and fruitful. She first attended preschool at the Country Sunshine Children’s Center. She then completed kindergarten through 3rd grade at Penny Road Elementary School, and 4th and 5th grade at Fuller Elementary School. 6th through 8th grade were spent gracing the halls of Ligon Middle School and in 9th grade, of Enloe High School. When the family moved to Troy, Michigan (a city that she picked out), she attended 10th through 12th grade at Troy High School, graduating with a string of victories in a number of competitions and contests on her belt. During her senior year of high school, Annie earned a perfect score on the SAT (2400) and was accepted to Princeton University on a day which forever changed the trajectory of the Yang family. She worked hard at Princeton and was joined there two years later by Jennie; four years later, Richard followed. At Princeton, Annie wrote over fifty news articles and served as a news editor for the Daily Princetonian. She conducted her thesis research in Andasibe, Madagascar on canine population dynamics in order to help control rabies with limited vaccine resources (arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01bk128d623). She was able to explore a variety of interests, including writing and science, and foster important friendships that made her Princeton experience memorable. In June 2018, Annie graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with certificates in Global Health and Health Policy and Planets and Life. During her senior year of college, Annie was accepted to Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her first year of medical school near the top of her class, winning 2nd place in an essay contest (www.dropbox.com/s/avow8c4raa2uru5/YANG%20Essay.pdf?dl=0). Annie would have received her M.D. in 2022. She planned to pursue a career in ophthalmology in which she would specialize in vitreoretinal surgery. Her goal in life was to cure illnesses and provide the best possible care to her future patients. Annie will be remembered for her love of writing and medicine–but also books, movies, and graphic design (theannieyang.wordpress.com/), her dream to summit Mount Everest, and her dedication to strangers, friends, patients, and family. She was truly a renaissance woman, writing thousands of words towards her first novel while studying the intricacies of the human body. It’s difficult to encapsulate all that Annie was within the confines of a page. True friend, compatriot, fellow traveler, beautiful soul, kindred spirit, sharer of mischievous adventures, bearer of burdens far too heavy to bear, yet stronger than any of us could ever hope to be. At once an innocent child and an old soul who understood far more than her years would suggest. A passionate young woman with strong convictions and the fierce determination to hold fast to them no matter what the cost. A flame that burned so brightly to light the way for others, flickering out too soon and leaving a darker world in its wake. Annie. You were one of a kind. On June 25, 2019, Annie Li Yang passed away at the age of 23. She will be dearly missed by her mother, Liping Li, her sisters Jennie Yang and Liyuan Lifanov, and her brother Richard Yang. A private gathering of friends and family to celebrate Annie’s life will take place at 10 AM on July 3, 2019 at Montlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Annie Li Yang December 11 1995 June 25 2019.
Montlawn Funerals and Cremations
Death notice for the town of: Raleigh, state: North Carolina