Nancy Kam Ngan Mah, 95, of Lincoln, Nebraska, passed away peacefully on October 4, 2026. She was born in Taishan, Guangdong (Canton), China.
In 1947, Nancy married Raymond “Ray” Fook Hoy Mah. Though their marriage was arranged by their parents, they loved each other deeply and were partners in life and business through nearly 70 years of joys and hardships. Their sons Albert and Francis were born in China. In 1949, Ray moved to the United States to earn the money to bring the family over. Nancy raised the children on her own for more than a decade, moving with them to Hong Kong in 1955 and supporting them as a seamstress. Their daughter, Linda, was born in Hong Kong in 1963. On September 6, 1964, Nancy and the children joined Ray in Lincoln, and their youngest son, Ronnie, was born shortly after.
In Lincoln, Nancy and Ray ran the kitchen at the Congress Inn Motel and Restaurant with their partner Jimmy Mar, a distant relative. Opened in the 1950s, the Congress Inn was the first Chinese restaurant in Lincoln. In the late 1970s, Nancy and Ray opened their own restaurant, Mah’s Garden, where they cooked for countless Lincolnites and travelers until it closed in 1992. Nancy’s 10-course meals kept nourishing family and friends at her home until just a few years ago.
Nancy was an avid slot machine and mahjong player who loved games with friends, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If the sun was shining, she wanted to be outside, and she kept a large garden into her late 80s. She loved classic Chinese literature, songs and poetry, had beautiful penmanship, and recited poems and sang songs even with advanced dementia, up until her final days. Her favorite foods were chicken feet and seafood, especially fish and fish heads, eyeballs and all.
Grateful for the kindness she received as an immigrant who spoke little English, Nancy spent her life paying that kindness forward through food, red envelopes of lucky money and devoted care for her loved ones. She honored her ancestors throughout her life and believed in respect, love and duty toward parents and elders, both living and dead. She always kept an ancestor table in her home. Her family will carry on this tradition and has already welcomed her photo to the ancestral wall.
Nancy is survived by her brother, Patrick (Paulina) Wong of Toronto, Canada; children, Francis (Connie) Mah of Buffalo Grove, Illinois; Linda (Jim) Tucker of Lincoln, NE; and Ronnie (Sartee) Mah of Atlanta, GA; and her daughter-in-law, Katherine Mah (wife of late Albert) of Atlanta, GA. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren: Timothy Mah, Christine Cheung, Jeff Mah, Tiffany Martin, Christopher Mah, Jonathan Mah, Steven Mah, Alana Tucker, Katelyn Meyer, Kylie Benton, Lynsey Larsen, Sara Tucker, Melina Mah and Dylan Mah. Her 12 great-grandchildren are Oliver Mah, Hannah Cheung, Jenna Cheung, Mirabelle Mah, Bryce Martin, Braylon Martin, Bentley Martin, Breckyn Martin, Bodey Martin, Miles Valenstein-Mah, Blakely Meyer and Sutton Meyer. She was preceded in death by her husband, Ray, in 2016; her eldest son, Albert Mah of Omaha; and her parents and sister.
The Mah and Tucker families extend heartfelt gratitude to the Guardian Angels caregivers, especially Penney, Debbie, Kayla, and Marcia, who cared for Nancy so well until her final days.
A private viewing will be held for family.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Catholic Social Services of Southern Nebraska Refugee and Immigrant Services programs (PO Box 30425, Lincoln, NE 68503 or at www.csshope.org).