08/07/2026
Today, we honor the life and work of Maya Matsuura Schock, an actress and painter born on this day in 1928. She spent her early life in her birthplace of Osaka, Japan, where she studied theatre and dance from a young age.
Graduating from Baika Women's College with an English degree, Maya became a part-time interpreter at the United States Army Ordnance Depot. There, she met and later married Floyd Schock, moving with him to his home of Speeceville, Pennsylvania.
She and her husband later joined the Harrisburg Community Theatre as set and costume designers. She continued to act in local productions, and eventually pursued painting at the York Academy of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Her work gained a significant regional following, with some pieces even receiving national recognition. She then directed her creative energy toward teaching, becoming a curator and instructor at her very own Dōshi Gallery in Downtown Harrisburg, mentoring young artists through a contemporary lens.
Maya Schock was just 47 when she died on September 17, 1975, though she remains an inspiration to those pursuing the creative arts, and throughout the Harrisburg community especially.
