Heather Xiaotian Meng

Ms. Heather Xiaotian Meng, daughter of Cheng Shiru and Meng Shicai (aka Zhu Tian), was
born in Beijing on December 5, 1957. Her father was working in rural Jiangsu, China at that
time, and so she was aptly named Xiaotian, which means "little field". One of three siblings, she
had a special connection to her parents due to being born the day after her mother's birthday,
and they always celebrated their birthdays together. Xiaotian was a lively child and an
enthusiastic performer who loved singing and dancing in school. Unfortunately, her simple
childhood was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution. In 1969, she was sent with her father and
younger brother to rural Hubei. While there, the twelve-year-old Xiaotian attended school while
looking after her father and brother and additionally participated in agricultural labor during
school breaks. Despite these hardships, her character did not waver; in fact, it strengthened.
During this time, Xiaotian developed herself as a lover of truth and a challenger with the
fortitude to face all of life's battles while maintaining a heart for service. In order to further her
education, she returned to Beijing alone to attend middle school and lived with her family's good
friend, Aunt Liao, until her parents were permitted to return to Beijing. After graduating from high
school, she worked for two years in the rural Huairou district, a remote mountainous village
under the Great Wall. While working hard labor and living in poverty, she fed her love of
knowledge by voraciously reading anything she could find, both Chinese and foreign literature.
Due to her diligence, she was permitted to sit for the first round of the National College Entrance
Exams in China when they resumed in 1977. She was honored to be a member of the first class
of college students after the Cultural Revolution ended.
In 1982, Xiaotian graduated from the Wuxi College of Light Industry with a degree in General
Chemistry and found employment in a chemical factory for civil products in Beijing. She started
as a technician and eventually rose up to Vice Factory Head in charge of technology. Soon
after, she married and gave birth to her first daughter (Mingni Sun, born March 1986). Life
would demand more fortitude again as she left everything she had ever known in order to follow
her husband to the United States, where he had been granted a rare student visa to complete
his graduate studies. Upon arrival to the States, Xiaotian was forced to learn another language
and find meaningful work in a foreign land, all without the safety of her family and resources. In
the years that followed, she completed her Master's degree in Library Science from Rutgers
University (1991) and gave birth to her second daughter (Janni Sun, born February 1992). A
couple years later, their family would move across the country to settle in Spokane, WA, where
she spent most of her career in the Foley Center Library at Gonzaga University.
While raising her family, Heather maintained her focus on the education of her daughters. She
was known for doing all of the extra work to ensure they had all of the best and most innovative
opportunities. She spent much of her time auditing local schools, interviewing teachers, and
"spying" on other programs to make sure her daughters had every advantageous experience
possible. It was truly her delight to discover all of the resources available, and she was
adamant that her daughters receive the benefits of them.
Her fortitude was tested again as she was diagnosed with renal failure from diabetes and lost
her eyesight at the young age of 54. Despite her poor health, she found joy in the success of
her children and even more so the birth of her first granddaughter, Fiona Deaver (born August
2019). She maintained close ties with her family in China, especially in her mother's affection.
Through it all, she maintained her curious spirit, strength in the face of adversity, and service mindedness.
In her last days, she expressed much positivity toward her life. She would want
those who knew her to remember to focus on the simple joys of life: to sing, to learn, and to be
grateful for the challenges of life and the character that comes from them. She was thankful to
all that cared for her and helped to maintain her independence, and she will rest well in the
restoration of her new life.