Mrs. Yee Moi Au

It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the sudden passing of our mother and grandmother, Yee Moi Au (nee Louie) who died at age 85 in Vancouver, Canada. She died peacefully in her sleep. May, as she was also known, was predeceased by her husband of 59 years, Nee Hung (Leon) Au. She is survived by her only elder brother, Quon Hong Louie. She leaves behind two sons, Norm (Heather) and Alan (Caroline), daughter Lillian (Klaus); and three grandchildren, Nicholas, Johannes and Annamay.

May was born in China in 1935. She grew up poor, hungry and scared. As a child, she hid with her mother, in the mountains of rural China during the war with Japan.

She arrived in Canada in 1954 where she met her father for the first time. May met her husband Leon in Canada and married in 1960. Mom worked tirelessly throughout her life. She enrolled in night classes to learn English for a year and although her English was limited, she persevered. She spent five years working at Keefer Laundry where she was paid 40 cents an hour ironing, folding and wrapping laundry. She also worked as a housekeeper at a hospital before spending the next 27 years as a seamstress.

May raised 3 children with the support of her mother while juggling a fulltime job on a tight budget. After her seamstress job came to an end, she started working with her husband in his printing business. The shop, Overseas Phototypesetting and Hotstamping, was located on Pender Street in the heart of Chinatown. Running a business often meant many personal sacrifices. May wore several hats. She learned to create gold foil wedding invitations which were a specialty item in the Pacific Northwest region. She was the receptionist, bookkeeper and proof reader. The hours were long but she enjoyed seeing happy couples, sometimes 2nd and 3rd generations, coming in to order the store’s wedding invitations.

May lived a simple and disciplined life characterized by hard work and surrounded by family and friends. She was a devoted, generous wife and mother who would put her needs aside to help those around her. May enjoyed gardening, cooking for others and spending time with her grandchildren.

Mom was the strength and backbone of the family. She would not have been familiar with the word "resilience" but exemplified it throughout her life. She persisted in spite of gradually losing the sight in one eye and having a major stroke, cancer and battled 8 long years of dementia.

We would like to express our gratitude to Dr. James Lai; Staff and Volunteers at Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood House and Mount Saint Joseph Long Term Care (Orchid Wing) where Mom spent her final years comforted and supported.

Due to COVID, a private service, will be held at Forrest Lawn Funeral Home. Passcode to a live-stream service is available from family. https://funeraweb.tv/en/diffusions/17722

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Alzheimer Society of BC: www.alzheimer.ca/en/bc

To celebrate mom's life, the family will plan a dinner in her honour at her favorite Chinese restaurant (Sun Sui Wah) when COVID is defeated.

We cherish our memories with our loving Mother and will miss her dearly.