Choi Y Lim

Choi Y. Lim, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, passed away in her sleep on September 3, 2020, at the age of 88. She was born on July 16, 1932, in Toishan, Guangzhou, China, and was the second born of three girls and a brother.

Choi came to the United States in 1956 following her husband Hing M. Lim in hopes of a better life. In the early years, she was a stay at home mother to daughter Betty and son Raymond, while Hing worked at his brother’s grocery store. A few years later, Hing rented a store to work for himself and Choi joined him to help. Despite the long hours, Choi made time to cook healthy meals for her family as well as keep her house clean. During this time, they also welcomed son William into the family.

Several years later, Hing and Choi bought land and built their own store on the North Loop (later changed to Kelley Street). Again, the hours were long but they worked hard to save money so they could eventually buy a house in a better neighborhood. They worked many years at this store. (Many is the time I would ask how much an item was. My mother always knew the prices of everything.)

Eventually, they did find the house they wanted and some years after that, they retired. Even though she no longer worked at the store, she always kept a clean and tidy house. She also found time to garden and the vegetables she grew were always beautiful as well as plentiful. She also liked to grow flowers and enjoyed decorating the house with Asian art and glass pieces. In her spare time, she enjoyed visiting her Chinese friends, either in person or by phone.

Choi was preceded in death by oldest son Sammy Lim. She is survived by her husband Hing M. Lim, daughter Betty Gaw, granddaughter Erica Belk (Jeremiah), and great grandson Asher; granddaughter Megan Maddox (Michael) and great granddaughter Eleanor (Ellie). She is also survived by sons Raymond Lim and William Lim.