Yuan Fong Lai

Birth date: Nov 22, 1919 Death date: Jul 15, 2010

In Loving Memory - Mr. Yuan Fong Lai Mr. Yuan Fong (Y.F.) Lai was born October 29, 1921 in Ningbo, China. He resided in Shanghai and received his degree in Physics from the University of Shanghai. He fled from Communist China, fir Read Obituary

Wall Obituary Events Media

Anonymous

793w ago

Dear Auntie Ingrid and Janet and family,We are so sorry for your lose, our thoughts are with you and your family. May your memories give you strength.Take care,Jenny, Ray and family##imported-begin##Jenny Ching##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

Here is a historical tidbit that I would like to share with Ingrid, Janet and other younger family members.Uncle D.Y. was a family man of exemplary character. Unlike some of his contemporaries who spent significant amounts of time away from home socializing in the name of business, he neither smoke nor drank, or played Mah-Jong. However, he liked to relax by reading martial arts action based fiction once in a while. He was also a photography buff of the highest caliber before the advent of todayÃ¢â?¬â?¢s digital camera, and other user friendly iterations in between. He kept his sophisticated camera equipment at the bottom of the Louis XV China cabinet which was part of Auntie 7Ã¢â?¬â?¢s dowry. He put his photography skill to good use when the China Ã¨Â¶Å Ã¥â?°Â§Opera Company came to call. All the stars and starlets of the opera company, namely Ã¨Â¢ÂÃ©â?ºÂªÃ¨Å Â¬, Ã¥Â¾ÂÃ§Å½â?°Ã¥â?¦Â°, Ã§Å½â?¹Ã¦â??â?¡Ã¥Â¨Å¸, Ã©â?¡â??Ã¥Â½Â©Ã¥â?¡Â¤, Ã¥Ââ?¢Ã§â??Å¾Ã¨â?¹Â±, Ã¥â??Â¨Ã¥Â®ÂÃ¥Â¥Å½, Ã¨Å?Æ?Ã§â??Å¾Ã¥Â¨Å¸, Ã©â?¢Ë?Ã¥Â°â??Ã¦Ë?Â¥, Ã¥ÂÂ²Ã¦ÂµÅ½Ã¥ÂÅ½Ã¢â?¬Â¦..were invited to dine at Uncle IÃ¢â?¬â?¢s house. This was like having Maria Callas, Pavarotti, and Placido Domingo over for dinner, or perhaps on another level, easier to comprehend for most Americans, having Michael Jackson and the rest of the Jackson 5 over for dinner. The year was 1961. John F. Kennedy had just sworn in as President of the United States, Yuri Gagarin became the first cosmonaut/astronaut to complete a successful mission in outer space, and with the cold war raging, Kennedy embarked on the space race with the Apollo program to challenge the Soviet Union. China had been behind the iron curtain since 1949, and in the throes of the Great Famine. It was also the Stone Age in China, material was scarce, but somehow the People Republic managed to scrape together meager resources to send the China Ã¨Â¶Å Ã¥â?°Â§Opera Company to Hong Kong. It was a harbinger of the Ping Pong diplomacy to take place a decade later: Continue to relentlessly and harshly criticize the capitalists at home, but establish good relations in private. Hong Kong was mesmerized by the artistry. Tickets for all 36 performances sold out quickly, and strings had to be pulled in order to get a seat at the Ã¦â?¢Â®Ã¥Âºâ? Theater. Uncle I used his business connections to pull off the very glamorous social coup of the year.Uncle D.Y. dutifully took numerous Kodachrome color pictures to fill an entire album. Since kids were not allowed I could only imagine how he had to maneuver /direct / make requests for the multitude of configurations: Star A to sit with Guest B, Star A, B, C to stand with Guest A etcÃ¢â?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦Not long after leaving Hong Kong, the opera company called on North Korea and Kim Il-Sung, the present Ã¢â?¬Ë?Dear LeaderÃ¢â?¬â?¢ Kim Jong-IlÃ¢â?¬â?¢s father. As in Hong Kong, it was met with the same enthusiastic reception bordering on madness, although I could never fathom how the Cantonese speaking Hong Konger or the North Korean man and woman on the street could appreciate the Shanghainese-like dialect spoken /sung in the opera. Those fading Kodachrome color photos contained in an album sitting in Auntie 7Ã¢â?¬â?¢s china cabinet have lots of stories to tell.Ã¨ÂµÂ´Ã©Â¦â?¢Ã¦Â¸Â¯Ã¦Â¼â?Ã¥â?¡ÂºÃ¯Â¼Ë?1960Ã¥Â¹Â´Ã¯Â¼â?°Ã£â?¬â?¬Ã£â?¬â?¬1960Ã¥Â¹Â´12Ã¦Å?Ë?23Ã¦â??Â¥Ã¨â?¡Â³1961Ã¥Â¹Â´1Ã¦Å?Ë?26Ã¦â??Â¥Ã¯Â¼Å?Ã¥â?°Â§Ã©â?¢Â¢Ã¤Â»Â¥”Ã¤Â¸Å Ã¦ÂµÂ·Ã¨Â¶Å Ã¥â?°Â§Ã¥â?ºÂ¢”Ã§Å¡â??Ã¥ÂÂÃ¤Â¹â?°Ã¯Â¼Å?Ã¥Å?Â¨Ã¥â?ºÂ¢Ã©â?¢Â¿Ã§â?¢Â½Ã¥Â½Â¦Ã£â?¬ÂÃ¥â?°Â¯Ã¥â?ºÂ¢Ã©â?¢Â¿Ã¨Â¢ÂÃ©â?ºÂªÃ¨Å Â¬Ã§Å½â?¡Ã©Â¢â? Ã¤Â¸â?¹Ã¯Â¼Å?Ã¤Â¸â?¬Ã¨Â¡Å?70Ã¥Â¤Å¡Ã¤ÂºÂºÃ¨ÂµÂ´Ã©Â¦â?¢Ã¦Â¸Â¯Ã¦Â¼â?Ã¥â?¡ÂºÃ£â?¬â??Ã¨Â¿â?¢Ã¦Ë?Â¯ Ã¥Â»ÂºÃ©â?¢Â¢Ã¤Â»Â¥Ã¦ÂÂ¥Ã§Å¡â??Ã©Â¦â??Ã¦Â¬Â¡Ã¨ÂµÂ´Ã¦Â¸Â¯Ã¯Â¼Å?Ã¤Â¹Å¸Ã¦Ë?Â¯Ã¥Â»ÂºÃ¥â?ºÂ½Ã¤Â»Â¥Ã¦ÂÂ¥Ã¨Â¶Å Ã¥â?°Â§Ã§Â¬Â¬Ã¤Â¸â?¬Ã¦Â¬Â¡Ã¨Â¿â?ºÃ¦Â¸Â¯Ã¦Â¼â?Ã¥â?¡ÂºÃ£â?¬â??Ã¦Â¼â?Ã¥â?¡ÂºÃ¥â?°Â§Ã§â?ºÂ®Ã¦Å?â?°Ã¥Â¤Â§Ã¦Ë?ÂÃ£â?¬Å Ã¨Â¥Â¿Ã¥Å½Â¢Ã¨Â®Â°Ã£â?¬â?¹Ã£â?¬ÂÃ£â?¬Å Ã§ÂºÂ¢Ã¦Â¥Â¼Ã¦Â¢Â¦Ã£â?¬â?¹Ã£â?¬ÂÃ£â?¬Å Ã§Â¢Â§Ã§Å½â?°Ã§Â°ÂªÃ£â?¬â?¹Ã£â?¬ÂÃ£â?¬Å Ã©â?¡â??Ã¥Â±Â±Ã¦Ë?Ë?Ã©Â¼â??Ã£â?¬â?¹Ã£â?¬ÂÃ£â?¬Å Ã¨Â¿Â½Ã©Â±Â¼Ã£â?¬â?¹Ã¯Â¼Å?Ã¥Â°ÂÃ¦Ë?Â

Anonymous

794w ago

Dear Auntie, Ingrid, Bill, Anthony, Janet and family:We are sorry for your loss. We still remembered that Uncle always was a very kind Uncle with a happy smile all the times.Our deepest sympathy.We will keep Uncle Lai in our prayers and we know that he will pray for us on earth and we will re-unite with him in heaven. God Bless and Take Good Care, especially for Auntie,Timothy, Philip, Jimmy, Maria and family with Paul and Maria Kong family in Vancouver, BC.##imported-begin##Maria Kong##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

Uncle Frank struck me as being indefatigably chipper. I remember most his smiling face. Whenever my mom visited Hong Kong, Auntie Pauline would round up as many siblings as possible for elaborate dinners at restaurants. The Lees would babble endlessly (so it seemed)–reminiscing, gossiping, disagreeing, comparing notes, throwing out advice. Uncle Frank would sit patiently at the table, digesting it all with a bemused look.##imported-begin##Barbara Koh##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

Dear Auntie Ingrid, Aunite Janet and family,We are very sorry for your loss. Our hearts and prayers go out to you at this time of sorrow. “Ã¦ÂÅ½Ã¥Â®Â¶Ã¥â?¦Â¬Ã¥â?¦Â¬” will always be in our heart and forever in our memory. He is such a kind and loving person, may he rest in peace.Love,Connie and Frank Tsai##imported-begin##Connie and Frank Tsai##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

Dear Auntie Paolin, Cousins Ingrid and Janet and respective families,May God’s everlasting grace be with you and bless you through this difficult time. Eventhough Uncle is not here on earth, we are blessed with God’s promise that we shall be reunited again one day in heaven. I will always remember Uncle 7 as the most kind and patient man. He always met you with a smile, and his hospitality has no end.We have known him as this very suave and intelligent business man, yet he has always been so down to earth and very kind to children. When i was a child visiting Hong Kong with my mother, we would often stop by Uncle’s office at the Star House. There would be Uncle busy at his desk working. But he never forgets to welcome me with an ice cold bottle of ice cold Coca-Cola. I can still remember the delightful fizz when he popped the cap off the top.Recent years when i visited Hong Kong, he would often take time off away from his work, and invite us for lunch buffet across his office at Marco Polo Hotel. Even though he was very busy with his work, he always made me feel i was his welcomed guest and he had lots of time to spend with me.While he was stricken with illness two and a half years ago, and had to endure endless dialysis treatments, he still greeted his doctors and caretakers with cheery response. Although later, he could no longer recognize his loved ones and could hardly speak anymore, his kind and loving spirit still shone through.We are blessed to have such a wonderful Uncle to remember by. My two boys (as toddlers) also had the pleasure of being held by Uncle 7. We shall have many more stories and memories to share during our lifetime.##imported-begin##Kathleen Yang Lee##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

I am sorry for your loss of your father. You are in my prayers. Karen Mancini##imported-begin##Karen Mancini##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

Dear Family,The loss of a dear family member, Frank, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, is a sadness to everyone. However, we know he is in God’s loving arms and guiding his loved ones by his spirit and grace. May his life be remembered with fondness and his spirit live on in the hearts of all who were touched by him. “Fear not for the Lord is with thee and his steadfast love endures forever.”Our love and prayers to Pauline, Janet, Len, Sarah, Andrew, Ingrid, Bill, and Anthony.Chris, Ron, and Lynn##imported-begin##Ron Radzilowski##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

When I think ofÃ§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ? I see his kind and perpetually smiling face. He was a good natured man, a highly intelligent man of what we would nowadays call the nerdy sort a la Silicon Valley, but hardly worldly or streetwise, which made him all the more endearing. He always made me feel accepted in the Ã¢â?¬Ë?You are okayÃ¢â?¬â?¢ sense. I followed my boy cousins who were related to Aunt 7 on their fatherÃ¢â?¬â?¢s side calling him Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ?, never realizing for a moment that I should have called him Ã¥Â§Â¨Ã¥Â¤Â« as I am related on my motherÃ¢â?¬â?¢s side. But I recall no adult pointing this out to me or trying to correct me, so IÃ¢â?¬â?¢ve called him the wrong way all my life.For at least three years during my childhood in Hong Kong, well before Ingrid was born, I stayed with Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ? and Auntie 7 at 126 Boundary Street on alternate weekends and summers while away as a boarder from the St. PaulÃ¢â?¬â?¢s Convent School in Causeway Bay. Then full time during my last year in Hong Kong as a fifth grade pupil at Maryknoll Convent School nearby as a day commuter. I remember the three story apartment building with two flats on each floor, the clattering iron security gate guarding the entry door, the Venetian blinds on the windows, the watermelon in the summer, pears, mangoes, oranges we shared at the big round dining table between the three of us. Every morning Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ? would get up early and help himself to the steamy bowl of soup noodles with shredded meat and pickled mustard set on the dining table by the pig-tailed servant nicknamed Ã¢â?¬Ë?Ferocious GrandmaÃ¢â?¬â?¢. For evening meals he must have fish, because Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ?hailed from Ã¥Â®ÂÃ¦Â³Â¢ which used to be a fishing village by the sea that developed into a fertile breeding ground for successful businessmen in the metropolis that was Shanghai. This was many years before everybody learned how healthful fish is, and that could have been what sustained him for so long during his last days.One thing that stood out in my childhood memory was on one occasion when there was a fund raising bazaar at the St. PaulÃ¢â?¬â?¢s School. There were many Ã¢â?¬Ë?gamesÃ¢â?¬â?¢ set up on the school grounds, and I was surprised to discover that Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ? was brilliant with those games calling for skill and intelligence. There were prizes to be had, though I cannot recall what those prizes were, he won every single one of them. There was one particularly difficult game where one had to thread a kind of needle between two metal bars close together without touching either of them and it was a thrill for me to see that he proved to be successful at it after I held my breadth for what seemed like an eternity. This was of course before the advent of so many more diversions kids can have nowadays but it was indeed the highlight of my childhood, and at the time I thought he was the greatest man alive. I am just sorry that Andrew and Sarah have to miss out on experiencing that kind of excitement with their grandfather. Perhaps Anthony did.Typical of the Chinese, much of the memory is associated with food. On one occasion when I was at St.PaulÃ¢â?¬â?¢s, Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ? and Aunt 7 dropped by to visit me on a weekend and perhaps with the intention to supplement my run of the mill diet as a boarder, took me across the street to Phoenix City Restaurant famous for its soy sauce chicken. Many years later, Fong and I ate at a restaurant in Hong Kong carrying the same name and tracing its lineage to the old days. Somehow, the food did not taste the same.In more recent years, after I entered middle age, on a visit to Hong Kong, Ã§Ë?Â·Ã¥Ââ? took me to a sumptuous buffet luncheon at the Hong Kong Hotel where he was a member of the eating club and the waiters and captain treated us like royalty. I really pigged out that. day and he seemed amused and promised me that I had seen nothing yet and that he was going to take me out to yet more incredible buffets. Alas, I did not stay long enough and as I got beyond middle age, buffets were ruled out from my life and that was pr

Anonymous

794w ago

Our hearts and prayers go out to you at this time of sorrow. Althought we only had the pleasure to meet Frank once, it was obvious the great pride he held for his children. we will continue to pray for him and the whole family. While saddened by the loss, we are confident in his place in the Lord’s Kingdom. We will dedicate our up comming Guatemalan mission to his honor. – Bob & Peg##imported-begin##Bob & Peg Elston##imported-end##

Anonymous

794w ago

Tribute Wall

Tribute Wall