De Chin Dee

Celebrating the life of DEE DE CHIN (SYCIP) 薛麗 真 De Chin Dee Sycip was born in 1921, the year of the rooster, pass away at the age of 98 under the Chinese calendar. Her life is filled with the legacy of love, forgiveness and a thankful heart. To tell her life story would compound to a book of many chapters all about her inspiration to others and how she deals all worldly issues focusing only in Jesus and his words- the Bible. She was even blessed because of the gift of music God have given her to share to many even the blind, she have touched and inspired. Dee Chin to many who knows will forever love her wit and humour, her love of good food and cuisine, her 15 hours of sleep which is her secret to long life, her appreciation of people who cares for her, her ringing voice in a congregation and those who live with her will miss her listening ear and good advice - “ Don’t you worry, I am ok. Everything is ok in the Lord’s hand until we meet again.” Birth, family, early years: Dee chin birth parents 葉(鄭)克寬 Yap (IAP)Kek Kuan and 李淑義 (Dee, Li Lee) Ma Gee 嗎義for nick name. Dee Chin she was the the 3rd child born to a family of five siblings in Kulangsu, Xiamen, Fujian, China on the year of the Rooster July 26, 1921. according to her real birthday, her chinese age 98 this year in July ( age 97 ) by Roman calendar and by formal documentation she is 94. She was loved by her older sister 葉麗瑜Linda June Yap Paredes and younger sister 葉 宛 芬Elizabeth Yap Balete, ( Manila) older brother YapYaukKun 叶育坤 ( Sweden) and younger brother David Chi Beng Yap 葉志明 ( Australia) who keep her in his prayer day and night all his life. As a baby, her mum 李淑義 Ma Gee’s 3rd sister, 李潻花 Lee (Dee)Tiam Hua married to Daniel Sycip of Mahuyod, Dumagete philippine having no children of their own adopted her as their daughter. She is sister to Moses Sycip and sister Dr. Fe Sycip ( medical doctor). That is why, all her life in the Philippines is known as miss Sycip 薛老師 instead of 葉Yap (IAP)or (Dee) Lee 李. She grew up with all her siblings in China and she stayed in Dumagete for a while when she was older. She was loved by her adopted family and visit them in their estate in Mahuyod Dumagete whenever she can after moving to manila. While She was young, living in Kulangsu or Kolongsu ( Gulangyu) her grandfather, 䈎IAP( Fookien ping-in), Rev Iap Han Chiong 葉漢章牧師 was the first Chinese pastor of the 厦門 Zhushu Church ( Bamboo Church /Zhushutang Bamboo Church) 基督教廈門竹樹堂教 bamboo church that still standing in Xiamen today. Rev Iap became a Christian through the love of Rev. John Van Nest Talmage, a Dutch missionary from reform church, who also help established the Anglo-Chinese School Gulangyu Jude female school 鼓浪屿毓德女学校( Giok tiak )http://m.chinachristiandaily.com/news/4261 for girls High School and while the Boys counterpart was 鼓浪屿英華男学校 ( Eng Hua) run by Missionaries, she was educated from young at this prestigious girl school was exposed to English, her biological dad, was also a doctor and grand aunts were the first midwife of Kulangsu 葉姑娘. In her years, as one of the main Christian Family in Gulangyu, the Iap home was open to many great Christian speakers like John Sung who lived in our home in 24-25 中華路 when he came to to preach. De Chin and her family and siblings went to trinity church ( 三一堂教會）in Kulangsu since she was young and help the rebuilding of it when it open in the late 1980s. She is always active in the music ministry. During the Japanese occupation war years, our 外公 family saved a Japanese general and was presented a sword that protected us during the Japanese occupation. So she was able to continue to cultivate her voice until 1948, just before the Communist takeover of China, Dee chin migrated to her adopted family in the Philippines. It is also With the help of his eldest sister, who had married a local Chinese, Teodoro Paredes, she settled to teach in the primary school of Grace Christian High school GCHS ( 靈恵中學)and 嘉南中學Hope Christian High School ( HCHS) for a total of 38 years. She was spoiled by her sister Ong Paredes Family with an antipolo 2 story house and she was often showered with high quality jewellery by her sisters who love to purchase in those days, when she migrated to Vancouver afyer living in Taiwan a few years, they continue to send her monies and spoil her with a car under Helen’s name as she have never driven in her life. De Chin grew up with her youngest aunty - Evelyn Lee Lao劉李淑英 ( 6 姨）who look after her from a very young age until now treating her as their own.Through the years, De Chin was part of the Lao family Her 5 sons, the Lao brothers Dean, Leon, Alex, Edwin, John continues to support De Chin financially with all her needs these last pass years with care giver and amenities giving De Chin a comfortable and independent worry free life style staying in the apartment all these year. Her Love extended to Peggy Hwang, one of her youngest cousin whom she loved dearly and sing to her each night as she tug her to sleep. She was there for her when Peggy moved to San Francisco. The near 70 years of bond between them is impeccable as she promised to be there for her to the end and she did. De Chin was also the governess of late Co Bun Chun family 許文準’s 10 children for many years in Nueva St, Binondo. The affection for her was demonstrated this year August when Fely Co ( 許素恩) and husband Johnny Simpson 施㶧星 with their daughter Jane and JJ Lao, with Fely’s sister Janet Co Ley 許素真( named after De Chin) came to Vancouver to throw a party for De Chin for all her Church friend to celebrate De Chin’s 97th/98th birthday last August 19, 2018 and also support financially to assist her with a carer to do more days. De Chin also spend many great memories living with her sibling -Paredes, Balete and Yap families. She is grand aunt and great grand aunt who is treasured close to the heart and deeply loved over 4 generations. Her gift of voice have given her the opportunity to travel, In the year 1956, she travels with her brother David Yap Chi Beng 葉志明 on Scholarship went to Princeton University Westminster College finishing her Masters in Music majoring Conducting and Voice. When she got back to the Philippines, She started to serve at 菲律賓中華基督教會 United evangelical church of the Philippines (UECP) and started the 甲 and 乙groups of choir and also helped 靈惠堂教會( Grace Gospel church ) establish the Youth choirs. She continue inspire young people to sing praises to the Lord and sang for many weddings. above it all, at Some stage of her life, she was inspired to teach even the blinds to sing. Her love for Christ and the Word was always alive in her, she would join a group of committed young Minanese 閩南語 Christian musician including her brother David 葉志明 did the recordings for those timeless Amoy hymns tunes into a ministry helping the sick and the unwell. Today, those recordings are still comforting those who are unwell, after 60 years , she was comforted by it. Her love for Christ in music was always alive in her, she wrote a musical Christian play entitled “ The Lily of the valley “ and would train many children to sing glory to the Lord. When she migrated to .Vancouver, she started the chancel choir and the children’s choir of fujian evangelical church. She believe in nurturing young conductors and inspire the younger generation to grow in choral music. Around 1970s She became best of friends with Helen UY whom she loved and trusted so much so even to a fault, that she entrusted all financial needs for Helen to manage. even helping in the facilitating of the immigration of all of Helen’s family to North America and Canada ,to the detriment of her own family’s chances for immigration, because all her finances does not have any titles in her own name. When Helen had a stroke 4-4.5 years ago, De Chin at age 92 plus, sometimes with friends help or on her own she would travel to the hospital by bus or walk to Minoru nursing home - as devoted and faithful friend, even in rain or snow never missing a day until her frail lungs is making it hard for her . As best of friends for such a long time, De Chin and Helen Uy have shared all their assets together in accounts and property. Their last will was to be buried side by side facing south. Whilst Helen is still alive, Helen’s brother’s family have changed all of their assets, accounts to the next generation therefore not granting Helen’s wishes, it saddens her to see what have been done to Helen and yet under such treatment, De Chin remembers the kindness they have given her in the early years and forgave them and ask her family to do the same. Her last breath was also asking her family to continue to visit Helen and make sure she is ok and pray she is bless with many more years. This is the noble kind of character that De Chin has exhibited throughout her life. The love and kindness plus having a forgiving heart for her dear friend . After 97 years of sharp mind Still remember everyone We listed below and fill it with stories of the pass and joy of heart each day. She always carry a prayerful heart, She only start deteriorating the last 3 weeks of November when she was told she got shingles and was confined 2 weeks and given antibiotics, amazingly- the shingles bears no fever or pain and didn’t even spread. After 2 weeks of confinement, flu have taken her health. Peggy her cousins flew to be at her side and nurse her, she laugh and ate and wanted her favourite food- ice cream. She was so blessed that her niece Swan En with great devotion would quietly visits her twice a day and talk to doctors. Her friends Alex and Mary and distance relatives Elis and Annabelle Lieuson will go out of their way to always be there for her and also detailed information to keep the family informed- giving her niece, Emily in Australia and grand niece Jeanne Paredes in manila a chance to see and spoke to her via video conference-even to the last time. She quietly passed this world 10 min to thanksgiving Nov 21, time in Australia/ Philippines is thanksgiving Day( Nov 22)- reminding us her legacy of forgiveness and thankfulness. Her many good friends from fookien church, The evergreen fellowship like pastor Susan Wang, Pastor David Tsai ,Alex and Mary Ong, Elis and Grace Lieuson, Bellie and George, Victor and Annette Que, Auntie Miriam Jao, Amy Cheng , Lydia and Julius Sy , Tena and Luis Chiu, Evelyn Tiu, Esther chua, Mateo and Betty, Sufi Chen and many more people were there to support, our family is So grateful for all your love and care. Financially her beloved cousins - Lao brothers, Dean, Leon, Alex, Edwin and John family and spouses , Fely Co and family have unconditionally supported her to her days. The worth of a person is not how much she have but how many people who loved her and losing everything she had She was loved by many who knows her. Although never married in her life, she have 4 generation of family that loved her. She's the matriarch of the Yap family clan. She is survived by Adopted parents/ siblings : Oldest sister to Moses and Joannie Sycip and Dr. Fely Sycip YAP - birth parents : 2nd sister to David yap Chi Beng and So hua Liu Yap Beloved God mum to Frank (Tai Ching) Yap ( Sweden), Emily Yap Cheng( Perth, Australia), Jolly Balete (Philippines) , Ellen Hwang (Sydney, Australia). 10th sister 十姐 to Peggy Hwang( San Francisco) 10th sister ( Achin 姐）to Dean and Shirley Lao , Leon and Shirley Lao, Alex and Annie Lao , Edwin and Joan Lao , John and Jennifer Lao ( Philippines), 10th Auntie 十姨 to Swan En and Timothy Dychinco, E- Siong and Eleanor Lin, Sun Koo and Johnny Toh( Seattle), Nancy and Hyman yap , Joyce and Sammy Tan ( Cebu) 2nd aunt 二姨 to Mary Paredes Uy ( A-Kwan), John Paredes ( acho) , Albert & Bee Ngo Paredes (Asim)), Albert & Boy Balete, Alfred Balete, Jolly Balete. Aunty dad side - 姑姑 to Frank and Janice Ip 叶大青, 叶少欽( 叶芳君 )Belinda Yip and Bent Scott, 叶少凱 (叶芳佑 ) Katherine Ip and Kjell Nilsson ( Sweden). Emily and Anson Cheng, Dewey and Jane Yap and Dennis and Bellie Yap ( Australia), Gracie Sycip ( Dumagete). Aunty mum side -姨媽Grand aunt to Jeanne Paredes & Gideon Chan( Phil), Paredes -Allan, Aimee,Alvin, Anabel and Ariel, Angie & Jeff Ong; Uy -Eugene and Jenny, Susanne , Steven , Arlene & Richard Scrimini, Jeanette & Anson Qua. Grand aunt dad side -姑媽 to Yap -DavidYanHo & Karen, Roger and Sara Yap, Nancy and Fredrik Johnsson (Sweden), Dianne, Joanne, Jeremy, Jerome, Ellainne & Yi Choong Liew, Eunise Yap Cheng, Andrew Yap Cheng (Australia). Great Grand aunt- 姑祖姨祖 to Yap -Jennifer and Theodore, Sanna and Camille Nilsson, Walter Scott, Chan -Gianina Jeddrick, Jayden, Amy &Allie Ong, Anika Uy, Sophia &Jeremy Que ( Manila). De Chin will be dearly missed by family and friends she left behind. She is now reunited in heaven with his beloved siblings and resting in the hands of God. Dee chin will be buried according to her wishes facing south which is Her home town in Gulangyu. 薛麗真出生在1921年到2018, 跟據農曆, 薜麗真活到98歲。 她的一生充滿了愛與寬恕。她的人生故事能寫成一本有很多章的書，她怎樣用智慧對待別人以及如何專注在耶稣和祂的話語去處理所有的問題。上帝給她有音樂的恩賜能讓她去影響並鼓勵許多人, 甚至是盲人。 對許多認識麗真的人將永遠記念她的智慧和幽默。 她熱愛美食，她感激關心她的人，也常常對他們說「別擔心，我很好。在主的手中一切都好，直到我們再見面。」 Birth 出生: 麗真深受姐姐葉麗瑜和妹妹葉宛芬, 哥哥葉育坤 (瑞士)和弟弟葉志明 (澳洲) 的愛待。 當麗真还是婴孩时, 她媽媽的三妹李添花與菲律賓 Dumaguete市的薛君(Sycip)結婚, 當下他们還没有自己的小孩, 所以就把麗真領養為女兒。這就是為什麼麗真的中文名姓薛。 她與她的兄弟姐妹在中國成長，稍為長大, 她就移居 Dumaguete 市. 她深受養父母家庭的喜愛，移居到馬尼拉之後，她還是經常回到Dumagete 探望他们。 Background 背景: 麗真小時候住在鼓浪嶼, 她的祖父葉漢章牧師是如今仍存在於厦門的基督教廈門竹樹堂教會的第一任中國人牧師。她的生父也是一名醫生。 在她那個年代, 他們家是鼓浪嶼主要的基督徒家庭, 經常接待一些著名的基督徒講員, 包括宋尚節博士。麗真一家大小都在鼓浪嶼三一堂教會做禮拜，她曾協助教會的重建, 在聖楽事工上一直用心服侍。 祖父葉漢章牧師是因着荷兰改革宗教会的教士 Rev. John Van Nest Talmage 的愛心而成為基督徒。 他也協助創辦了鼓浪屿毓德女学校。 麗真在這間有名望的鼓浪屿毓德女子學校受教育, 并有機會學習英語。 在日本戰争時代, 她的外公救了 一位日本將軍的性命。 這位將軍就給他們一把劍在日本统治期間保他們的性命。因着這樣麗真的聲楽學習得以繼續得到培育。直到1948 年, 共産党占據中國前, 麗真移民到菲律賓與養父母同住, 同時她的大姐與當地的華人王君結婚, 在她的幫助下, 麗真得以在當地的靈惠基督教中學的小學部, 嘉南中學‬基督學校教學達38年之久。麗真深受姐姐 (王家) 的疼愛，在菲律賓送給她一棟雙層樓房，高貴禮物等等。 麗真在馬尼拉的許文準家做十個孩子的家教很多年， 至今還受許家的兄弟姊妹的愛戴，今年其中的兩姐妹專程到温哥華來為麗真慶祝97 歲生日, 他们也在經濟上支持麗真为他聘用一位看護。 麗真和她的六姨一起長大， 六姨從小照顧她, 把她當成自己的女兒，這些年來, 麗真已经成為劉家一份子， 劉家的五個兄弟一直很照顧她。 麗真将這愛延伸至她最小的表妹 Peggy (英英) 身上, 她非常愛這個表妹, 每晚都唱歌哄她入睡, 當 英英移居到三番市時, 她陪伴在身邊。 她们近70年的感情近乎完美, 英英承诺長大了要回报麗真, 英英屢行了她的承诺, 常常來看麗真, 過世前, 她又從三番市飛到温哥華10天專給麗真餵飯, 她離開四天後，麗真就離世了。 麗真的恩賜是在聲楽方面。1956年，她與弟弟葉志明獲得了獎學金一起前往普林斯頓大學威斯敏斯特學院，完成了她的音樂碩士學位，主修音樂指導和聲樂。 學成回菲後，在菲律賓中華基督教會，開始了甲和乙的詩班，也在靈惠堂教會成立了青年詩班，為許多婚禮獻唱，甚至教盲人唱歌。移民到溫哥華，在閩南堂教會、開始了兒童詩班和聖壇詩班。 她非常熱愛上帝的話, 總是竭力把祂活出來，在音樂中也彰顯她對基督的熱愛。她寫了一首名為“The Lily of the Valley”的音樂歌劇，並訓練許多孩子要以榮耀主而唱歌。 40年前她也與一群年輕福建人基督徒音樂家，其中包括她的弟弟, 葉志明，把閩南聖詩錄製成一個唱片去幫助病人和身體不適的人。今天，她一直對此事工感到安慰。 七十年代，麗真和 黃霞綾成為好友，住台灣幾年並一起移民到加拿大。四, 五年前, 黃霞綾中風，麗真 92歲。作為一個忠誠的朋友，她風雨不改經常獨自一人或在朋友的幫助下坐公車到醫院或步行到老人中心探望霞綾, 一直到她自己的身軆因肺虚而無法再繼續。雖然經過這麽多的坎坷，麗真還是很勇敢的以贊美和感恩來克服了一切困境。麗真常說: 神籍很多人來愛她, 感動人經常從遠地飛來看她。 神對她真好, 其他一切都不重要。 麗真和黃霞綾一生是分合一切他們所有的財富，她們的遺願是並排埋葬在一起, 在黃霞綾仍然活著的時候，黃霞綾弟弟家人己將黃霞玲的財產包括銀行賬戶，埋葬地，物業轉名給下一代，黃霞綾遺願就不會完成即使在這樣的待遇下，麗真也原諒她，也要一家人原諒他們，內且在麗真的最後一口氣時，她要求我們繼續探訪黃霞綾。這就是麗真一生中所展現的那種善良性情。愛和善良加上對她親愛的朋友寬容的心。 經過97年的敏銳思维，充滿了故事和心靈的喜悅，一個虔誠的靈一天睡超過15個小時，她只在11月的最後3個星期開始惡化，我們在澳大利亞和馬尼拉的姪女有機會通過視頻與她交談。她悄悄地在感恩節前十分鐘11月21日離開了這個世界，澳大利亞感恩節是11月 22日 - 提醒我們她對上帝和人寬恕和感恩的性格. 我們家人非常感激許多溫哥華的好朋友和閩南堂的弟兄姊妹，在這期間很關照她。 我們也很感謝劉家表弟們還有許家女兒無條件在經濟上一直的支持她。 一個人的價值不是她擁有多少，而是有多少人愛她，她失去了她所擁有的一切，她仍被許多認識她的人所愛。 雖然她一生從未結婚，但她仍有4代愛她的家庭 (就是她兄弟姐妹的儿女們)。她也是葉家族的女家長。 麗真將被她的家人和朋友深深地懷念。她現在與她心愛的兄弟姐妹在天堂團聚，並安息主懷。 麗真將按照她的意願面向南面她的故鄉鼓浪嶼被安葬。