Portrait of Joe Mah, Ruth Ma, and Ruby Ma

Reverend MA T.K. Wou was born MA Kan Wou in China. He left China for Canada before the turn of the century. He lived in Winnipeg before moving to Toronto, graduating from Toronto Bible College in 1908 to become the city’s first Chinese Presbyterian Minister. He was among a small number of early Chinese missionaries in Canada. Anna was born in China in 1889 and came to Canada in 1914 after marrying Rev. Ma in Hong Kong. 

Rev. and Mrs. Ma were important figures in Toronto’s Chinese community and their family widely recognized as one of Toronto’s original Chinese families. Together, they pioneered church work among the city’s Chinese through establishing church services, meetings, social functions, and a Chinese school. Anna held Chinese women’s meetings with the women’s auxiliary at Knox Presbyterian Church.

The couple had 10 children.