Mai Ta MacLennan, age 65, passed away peacefully in her Rochester, MN, home on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, surrounded by the love of her family. She faced her lifelong battle with cancer with extraordinary courage and grace.
Mai was born Mai Phuong Ta on May 2, 1959, in Saigon, Vietnam, to mother Hoa Thi Dang and father Quang Van Ta. From an early age she excelled academically, with a particular love for mathematics and science, and displayed athletic talent as a track runner. A graduate of Regina Mundi Catholic School in 1977, Mai’s early years were shaped by her resilience and deep devotion to family.
After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, Mai took on the role of caregiver, helping to raise her younger siblings Ngoc (Karen) and Nguyen (Christopher) while her older brother Trinh worked, her mother taught school, and her father endured a post-war reeducation camp. In 1979, with unshakable hope and determination, Mai and her family escaped Vietnam, spending a year in the Pulau Tengah refugee camp in Malaysia before immigrating to the United States on May 12, 1980. They settled in Minneapolis, where Mai began a new chapter of her life.
Mai attended the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, where she met the love of her life, Stephen MacLennan, in a Complex Analysis math class on March 31, 1982. She graduated in 1984 with a degree in electrical engineering and embarked on a distinguished career designing memory integrated circuits, working for Honeywell, LSI Logic, and Broadcom. Her groundbreaking work earned her five U.S. patents, and her family often proudly noted that Mai’s contributions likely power devices we all use today. Known for her exceptional spatial reasoning and photographic memory, she navigated both complex semiconductor chip designs and cross-country road trips with remarkable ease.
Mai and Stephen married on July 7, 1984, beginning a partnership defined by unconditional love, mutual respect, and shared adventures. Their bond was tested early in their marriage when Mai was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in 1985. Mai underwent a successful bone marrow transplant, with her brother Trinh as donor, at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical Center. Her remarkable recovery and her steadfast determination inspired all who knew her.
In 2022, Mai faced a new health challenge with bladder cancer. She and Stephen moved from their longtime home in Plymouth to Rochester in early 2024, where they discovered a supportive and welcoming community. Despite her illness, Mai and Stephen savored a year filled with love, connection, and deep joy.
Mai will be remembered as a quiet yet profound presence whose warmth, generosity, and zest for life left an indelible mark on everyone she met. She found joy in cooking delicious Vietnamese dishes, eating healthfully, solving intricate puzzles, reading, traveling, and cherishing moments with her family and friends.
Mai is survived by her devoted husband of 40 years, Stephen MacLennan of Rochester, MN; her siblings Trinh Ta (Lien Truong) of Naperville, IL; Karen Ta (Kevin Nepsund) of Woodbury, MN; Christopher Ta (Kathryn) of Los Altos, CA; brother-in-law Don MacLennan (Diane) of Bloomington, MN, and sister-in-law Mary MacLennan-Sackett (Mike Sackett) of Edina, MN; along with many relatives and lifelong friends, including her cherished high school classmates, the Couventines. She is preceded in death by her parents, Hoa Thi Dang and Quang Van Ta.
Her family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the exceptional teams at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical Center and the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, as well as medical staff in Edina and Wayzata for their compassionate care for over four decades. Mai often said she felt incredibly lucky, and those who were blessed to know her feel even luckier. Her legacy of resilience, kindness, and quiet strength will live on in the hearts of all who loved her.
A memorial service to honor Mai’s extraordinary life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Calvary Episcopal Church, 111 3rd Avenue SW in Rochester, MN, with visitation prior beginning at 10 a.m.
