Emily T. Y. Lee

Emily T.Y. Lee was born the first child to Mr. & Mrs.Chiang,Tze-Hsiang (江支湘＆江游滿妹) in DaXi (大溪),TaoYuan,Taiwan on March 10,1932 during the Japanese Occupation Era (1895 -1945). She had 5 brothers & 3 sisters. Emily was a force of nature, and the favorite of her paternal grandmother - the matriarch of the family.This combination was the ticket for her to excel & pursue her education even in a patriarchal society. She became a RN & devoted herself to public health when the public health system was not fully developed in Taiwan after Chiang Kai-Shek's government took the island back from the Japanese. Emily was so outstanding at her work that she made a strong impression on the principal of her school, Taiwan Provincial College of Nursing. The principal invited Emily to become her personal secretary and an instructor to train young nurses.

Emily also played her big sister role in her family very well. She helped and took care of all her siblings,in their education,career paths and even match-making for their future spouses! She was truely a role model for her younger siblings and almost like a mother to them!

Emily had been a committed Buddhism follower all her life, and she was introduced to Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism when she immigrated to the United States in the early 70's with her 2 young children and settled in San Francisco,Calif. Her strong religious faith played a huge part in the rest of her life. She started her new journey in a new country by utilizing her multi-lingle ability (Japanese,Mandarin,Taiwanese & English) and worked for a boutique travel agency that catered to affluent Chinese & Japanese tourists. She became a private tour guide as soon as she got her driver's license and familiarized herself with all the iconic spots in the City. Shortly thereafter, she purchased and ran a dry cleaning shop in the Pacific Height neighborhood. Her tailor-like alteration skill brought her fame in the neighborhood and helped establish the business very rapidly. She became an entrepreneur and opened a Chinese restaurant a couple of years later.

When her daughter turned 18, Emily sold her businesses and moved back to Taiwan to be with her elderly parents. She was also introduced and married to Dr Lee, Dai-Xi. Emily returned to the Bay Area after her father and husband passed away. She continued practicing Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and was an active member in the local temples. When she moved to L.A. in 1990 to help with her daughter and her 3 children, she became even more devoted to Nichiren Shosu and the L.A.temple. Emily started translating articles from Japanese to Chinese written by Japanese priests of Nichiren Shoshu around the world. She designed and produced a monthly periodical in Chinese for the growing Chinese members of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism in California and followers in Taiwan. She moved to Hawaii after her daughter remarried, and devoted herself completely to Buddhism, and started translating the Lotus Sutra, She was very involved with the Hawaii temple of Nichiren Shoshu. She published 15 Buddhist texts that she translated from Japanese to Chinese during the 17 years she lived in Hawaii.

Her daughter moved her back to SoCal in 2016 when Emily developed an early stage of dementia. Emily lived with her daughter and son-in-law in Pasadena, where her daughter provided a one-on-one caretaker 24/7.

Emily had one daughter, Janice Lee-McMahon, who is married to Brian McMahon and one son, Steven Lee, who is married to Sharon Hsu Lee. She has 3 grandchildren from Janice: Ruthann Chou, Roxanne Chou and Ryan Chou. And she has 4 grandchildren from Steven: Steven Lee Jr, Cecelia Ann Lee, Rebecca Lee (from China) and Josephine Lee (from Taiwan). Her 5 great-grandchildren are Liv Chou Bui,Taylor Chou Khamlaksara,Taren Chou Khamlaksana, Bruce Lee Pilarski and Franklin Lee Pilarski.