Mrs. Alice Wai Yee Lee

It is with great sadness and sorrow that we announce the unexpected passing of our wife and mother, Alice, on January 27, 2023.

She is survived by her husband, Stephen, daughter Anna, son Leon, 3 sisters: Irene, Meriam and Salina, brother, Peter, brother-in-law, Douglas, 6 nephews and 1 niece and numerous cousins, as well as by many friends and associates. She was predeceased by her father and mother.

Alice was born in Hong Kong during WW2. Shortly after her birth, her family returned to Guang Dong province in China where she lived during the remainder of WW2 and during the Chinese Civil War. In 1956 the family returned to Hong Kong and she enrolled in Tong Road Lutheran School. Her academic talent brought her to the attention of the school authorities and she was asked to return after graduation as a teacher, which she did for 1961-1962. During her high school years, her beautiful contralto voice was discovered and trained. She also received instruction in the piano, the organ and the guitar. In 1962 she won a scholarship to study in Europe and enrolled in nursing: first in Switzerland, where she learned German, and then in London, England, where she perfected her English. In 1967 she received a call from the Lutheran Church to come to Vancouver to take an active role in community work to help Chinese immigrants to Canada and to assist in the formation of a new congregation. During this time of working for the church, she continued with her nursing studies in her off hours and also began the process which would result in her bringing all her immediate family to live in British Columbia. To assist her family she established a business to give them preferred status for immigration and a place for employment.

From 1970 to 1990 she was employed at Vancouver General Hospital: for 10 years at the urology department and then for another 10 years in plastic surgery. Because of her language skills, she was frequently called upon to provide interpretation and translation for the hospital to the patients. Her friendly personality won her many friends at the hospital and she often organized parties and other social events for the staff.

She continued to be active in the Lutheran Church and served in many positions, including as member of the church council, Sunday School teacher, Youth leader, organist, choir member and Bible instructor.

By 1989, her family was more firmly settled in Vancouver and she was able to devote more attention to her own life. She was briefly a real estate agent and then decided to learn dancing. It was then that she met her future husband. In 1993, she married and began the process to adopt children, Anna joining the family in 1996 and Leon in 1997. To support her children, she was active in the school parent-teacher organizations and received several certificates of merit for her contributions.

All this time she had an active life meeting and taking an interest in the lives of her many friends and acquaintances. She was a vivacious and charismatic person with a broad smile, sharp wit, and mesmerizing eyes.

Goodbye, Alice. We will miss you.