Kay Betty Keen Yip

YIP, Kay Betty
March 31, 1921 to January 12, 2011
Loving Mother, Loving Life and forever with Roy 

Kay was born and raised in Quesnel, B.C. her given name was Chew Kin Boyd. During the war years Kay's family moved to Vancouver to operate a small grocery store. It was in Vancouver that Kay met Roy Yip and they married in 1945. Three years later Kay and Roy moved to Prince George, B.C. where Roy and his brothers opened a chain of stores named Royal Produce. While Roy worked the normal 12/7 work weeks; Kay raised their children; Doug, Byron & Brenda, kept a neat household and always prepared a great Sunday family dinner. After the children flew the nest Kay kept a busy schedule; traveling, visiting family and participating in community associations. Kay will be missed by her daughter Brenda, her sons Doug (Kathleen), Byron (Liping), her 8 grandchildren Kim, (Charles), Kris (Shendah), Julianne, Jennifer, Kayla, Nicole, Zach, and Ty; and her great grandchildren Keiren, Aidan, Alex and Henry. Kay is survived by her sister Bea, her brother Bill and predeceased by her husband Roy and brothers, Charlie and Harry. A Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, January 18, 2011at 1:30 pm in the Chapel of Ocean View Funeral Home, 4000 Imperial Street, Burnaby. Interment to follow in Ocean View Burial Park. In lieu of flowers donations to the Prince George Ostomy Association would be appreciated by the family.

EULOGIES

Ladies and Gentlemen, friends and relatives;

My name is Liping Yip. As most of you know, I am the daughter-in-law of Kay Yip. Over the years, I have had the privilege to get to know my mother-in-law, Kay, especially during the past five years. With each visit, Kay shared some of her life stories with me. Together, we looked at old family photos, with pictures of the by-gone eras, pictures of her childhood and youth, pictures of family and friends, and most of all, pictures reflecting her hopes and dreams. We shared a lot of laughs and some tears, as she relived those memories. I have been blessed with her wisdom and insights and now, here, in this celebration of Kay’s long and happy life, I would like to share a couple of her stories with you.

Sometimes, Kay and I would go for a drive, to revisit some of the memorable places in Vancouver. One day we passed by Jericho Beach. Kay smiled with a twinkle in her eye: “I used to come here, with my girlfriends after work, to meet some GIs, Tang Ren GI soldiers.” It was during the war time. Many young Chinese boys from Vancouver joined the Canadian army, including Kay’s brother Bill. The GI training camp was near the Jericho Beach. The soldiers gathered here before they were sent overseas. Kay told me how much fun she and her girl friend had with the GI soldiers. They would go dancing and to the movies.

Stories of Kay’s life would not be complete without at least one recollection of her husband, Roy. The one is about Kay and Roy before they got married. Roy and Kay had known each other since the Quesnel time, when Roy worked on his grandparents’ farm in the summer. Later, when Kay’s family moved down to Vancouver, Roy was a student of UBC. As a beautiful, vibrant young woman, Kay was no doubt attracting a following of young Chinese men, including Roy. One winter afternoon, Irene, a friend of Kay’s who was also Roy’s sister, invited Kay to go skating with her. Irene had asked Kay to join her for a very simple yet prudent reason; Irene was going out with a young man and she didn’t want to go alone. To make things more lively, Irene even arranged a blind date for Kay. Without any hesitation, Kay got her skates and was ready to go. As she opened her door, she was surprised to see Roy who was just about to ring the door bell.

“ Where are you going?” Roy asked Kay.

“I’m going skating.”

“With whom?”

“With Irene, your sister, and others.”

“You are not.” Roy said.

“Oh, yes I am.” And off she went, leaving Roy standing on the door step. A couple of hours later, Kay came home and saw Roy, pacing up and down the pavement in front of her house, waiting for her return. From that moment on, Kay knew Roy was the man who would always be there for her. That is the love story of Roy and Kay.

Kay was a fun and caring person who loved life. She was a fighter and a survivor. At different times of her life, she faced serious illnesses like breast cancer and colon disease. She wouldn’t let such things stop her and took every challenge in stride. Once I asked her if she had wished to have a different life. She said: “No, not really. Make the best what life gives you.” Perhaps this simple statement can be our parting message from Kay.

Good-bye, Kay. I know you are in a better place and have been reunited with the love of your life, Roy.

Eulogy - PGCCFA

In Memory of Our Dear Friend, Kay Yip

A great person and a good friend to all the members of the Prince George Canada-China Friendship Association for more than three decades, Kay Yip, together with her beloved husband Roy, is kept in wonderful memory.

We think of her particularly at Chinese New Year because of the many celebrations we had together until her move to Richmond a few years ago.

We will always see Kay as our gracious, strong, and wise Treasurer in the first proud decade of our Society.

We will miss her humour, her kindness, and her common sense.

May she rest peacefully beside Roy. We will not forget her.

Dietrich and Jeanette Elias

Geoff Holt

Art and Yvonne Stauble

Paul and Sylvia Swennumson

Eulogy - Lily Chow

Although Kay and I have not seen one another in person for the past few years, due to distance and our increase in age, we have tried to keep in touch as much as we could. Kay has been a loving and dedicated wife, a good mother and a sincere and caring friend, a lady whom I admire and respect.

I met Kay and her late husband Roy Yip as early as 1972 in a parent-teacher meeting. At that time I was teacher in Connaught Junior High School and Bryon was one of my students. At the meeting I complimented them for being such good parent, as Byron was achieving good grades especially in band. “Yeah,” said Kay. “But his drum practice at home had almost burst my ear drum!”

Roy then commented, “You are the one who bought him the set of drums!”

“….” Kay just looked at Roy at the corner of her eyes. Poor Kay got caught at her meant-well attempt of encouraging Byron to excel in Band!

Indeed, Kay has been a good and supportive mother making great effort to ensure her children getting good education. Now all her children and grandchildren have embarked in good careers and/or professions, and they are successful Chinese Canadians. I am sure she is very proud of them.

In 1979, the Chinese community revived the celebration of the Chinese New Year in the Prince George old Civic Center. In that event Kay and some Chinese ladies together with a few members of the Canada China Friendship Association looked after the decorations of the site and prepared a great variety of Chinese food for the occasion. Since then we became friends and attempted to visit one another whenever we could. Occasionally we sat down to have a game of mah-jong, a time to allow her wonderful husband, Roy to show off his cooking of night snacks or ‘siew yeh’ in Cantonese.

I believe that many of you present today would agree with that the late Roy Yip was a leader in the Chinese community ever since they started the first Roy Produce on Third Avenue, Prince George in 1948. He and I had been working together as President and Secretary of the Chinese Benevolent Association more than 2 decades. In the 1980s we usually had our board meeting in Yip’s home. When we met, it was Kay’s turns to entertain us with her delicious baking and tea. Indeed, both of them were very skilful in cooking and baking, and very hospitable and friendly couple.

When I began to research and document the Chinese Canadian history in Prince George both Kay and Roy shared with me not only some of the significant events in the Chinese community but also a few of their own personal stories. In one of the anecdotes Roy related his experiences of starting the first grocery store in 1948. He told me that besides Peter, his old brother helped him to man the store Kay had played an important role in their enterprises. She not only ensured they had good meals everyday and worked as a cashier, but also helped in putting out grocery items in the evening after the store was closed to get ready for the next day. In 1948 Prince George was still a frontier town with limited housing. So both Kay and Roy lived in the room at the back of the store. This recollection reveals that both husband and wife had gone through thick and thin together and always worked as a team.

In the community Kay was an activist. She was an active member of the Prince George Lioness, a treasurer of the Prince George Canada-China Friendship Association over a decade, another treasurer of the Chinese Women Auxiliary Club for more than 6 years and a great supporter of the Prince George Chinese Benevolent Association. Her contributions to the Prince George Community at large and the Chinese Community are immeasurable. She will be greatly missed and never forgotten.

Dear Kay, rest in peace and God Bless.

Signed: Lily Chow

Victoria, BC

January 16, 2011

Eulogy - Byron Yip

I would like to share with you with some of my personal moments with Kay

the time when I was 5 - in the dead of winter in PG I decided to stick my tonuge on a metal post; Kay, johnny on the spot, with some warm water gently removed my tongue from that post;

the time when I was in grade 2 walking home from school I asked a girl to play and she took out my front tooth with her metal lunch bucket - I ran home to receive comfort from Mom who phoned & berated the girls parents on my behalf gave me some comfort.

The time when I won a blue ribbon for best easter bonnet - I remember waiting to tell my Dad after he finished work; Mom beat me and told Dad how happy she was that I won a blue ribbon. For me it was double happiness; happy to win a blue ribbon and happy that Mom was so happy for me.

The time when I was 12 I decided to ask Roy for a raise from $0.50 to $0.75; Roy being the astute businessman of course said no. Of course I I cried to Kay and she got me a raise to a $1.50.

I'm sure Kay was trying to shape me in her image. She put me in figure skating - when I just wanted to play hockey. Later she put me tap dancing - again I just wanted to play hockey.

Thank you Kay & Roy for showing love, courage & compassion when you decided to adopt us; Doug, Byron & Brenda

Thank you Kay & Roy for when we gave you grief; you gave us forgiveness.

Thank you Kay & Roy for the wonderful life you provided to us.