Born in Hong Kong, Anna Lo moved to Northern Ireland in 1974.
At first she took jobs as a translator and as a secretary, before attending Ulster University where she qualified to begin work as a social worker.
She later became the director of the Chinese Welfare Association in Belfast and a founding commissioner of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Lo was first elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2007, representing South Belfast for the Alliance Party.
She was re-elected five years later and served until her retirement in 2016.
Her sons, Owen and Conall Watson described her as a “campaigner for equality and social justice in Northern Ireland”.
In a family statement, they confirmed that she died in Belfast City Hospital on Wednesday, following complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
They added that even from her hospital bed, she “continued to champion the issues that she had dedicated her life to”.
“We are incredibly proud of Anna and what she achieved throughout her life and career,” her sons said.
“She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, partner and friend, whose energy, joy and integrity inspired those she met.”
“Anna stood for and fought for equality, for women’s rights, against discrimination including racism, and for a political system to serve the needs of people rather than reinforce historic divisions,” they added.
