Rice mourns loss of Shieh

By Amanda MacDonald     11/28/12 6:00pm

 

Gift Operations Manager Jessie Shieh died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest on Nov. 12. She is survived by her husband, Jai Paniker, and her two children, Raena and Ronan. 

Shieh worked in the Office of Resource Development for 12 years. She joined Rice as a financial analyst in 2000 and then was promoted to gift operations manager in 2007, according to Executive Director of Development Services Karen Rubinsky. 

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Reflections from Shieh's colleagues demonstrate how much they valued working with her. 

"The thing that keeps coming to me is her always 'up' attitude," Development Information Services Coordinator Liz Nunez said. "She saw the humor in things and had a great laugh." 

Many of Shieh's colleagues touched upon her great attitude. 

"Jessie was a believer in 'Keep Calm and Carry On,'" Gift Records Specialist Libby Wilson said. "I admired her ability to not sweat the small stuff." 

Shieh was known for her devotion to family. 

"In addition to our close working relationship, we were raising our kids together," co-worker and Data Operations Manager Lawanda Sanders said. 

Shieh was a committed volunteer for the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, her children's schools and her son's soccer team, according to Sanders. 

Shieh made a strong impact on those she knew at Rice. 

"Her passing leaves a huge hole in our hearts, and [we] will miss her for a long, long time," Wilson said. 

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