Chanyoung Shader

Chanyoung (Lee) Shader was born December 31, 1962 in Seoul, South Korea to Hyun Taek Lee and Dong Ok Jung. She transitioned to her heavenly home on October 25, 2019 due to complications from cancer.

As a child she enjoyed spending time on her grandparents’ farm where she enjoyed watching her grandmother make noodles by hand, being treated to fresh roasted chestnuts, and wandering around talking to the villagers.  Her curiosity led her, at the age of four, to eagerly peer into a school window to see what the older children were doing. The teacher rewarded her curiosity by invited her in, and Chanyoung’s lifelong journey of learning began.

Chanyoung was an avid reader; she was especially drawn to the drama of world history. She won several awards for her scholarship and writing. She also enjoyed playing and listening to classical music. She studied Mathematics at Yonsei University. During this time she played piano and sang in her church choir.

At a young age Chanyoung showed an adventuresome spirit.  When asked as a youngster to draw a house, she always drew a rustic cabin and steep mountains neither of which is found in Seoul. This spirit led her to the U.S. to study Mathematics. She completed her PhD in Mathematics at the University of Wisconsin Madison and joined the UWyo Math Department in 1992. Her research concerned finding illuminating ways to understand the mathematical behavior of super Lie Algebras—the underlying mathematics of String Theory.

Chanyoung and Bryan shared an office in graduate school and they quickly became friends. They were married in 1992. Their daughter Sarah was born in 1996 and immediately became Chanyoung’s passion and delight.

In recent months, Chanyoung imagined in her mind new landscapes as described in Psalm 18:19, “He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.”  She is survived by her husband Bryan Shader, daughter Sarah Shader, and her parents and siblings (Eun-Young, Jin-Young and Kaun-Young), and her sister-in-law (Soni Huffman) and their families.

In Korean, Chanyoung means “Forever Brilliant,” and friends and family will remember her gracefulness in all that she did, smile and laugh, beautiful soprano voice, love of classical music, commitment to her students’ learning, pursuit of new beautiful mathematics, caring for others, and delight in her daughter.

Chanyoung and Bryan are greatly appreciative of all those who helped them through her illness. They thank the doctors, nurses and staff at the Laramie’s Meredith and Jeannie Ray Cancer Center, and the UCHealth Cancer Centers in Fort Collins and Denver. Dr. Miho Scott’s knowledge, wisdom, compassion and friendship were a tremendous help.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 16 at Grace Baptist Church (1603 E. Garfield) in Laramie.

Those wishing to make contributions in honor of Chanyoung may make them to MathPath (a nationwide program for students age 11-14 who show a promise for and love of mathematics) at http://www.mathpath.org.