Wing D. Lee

Wing Doy Lee, aka Jimmy Lee, was born with the family name Eng in the Toisan area of Canton, China in 1921. Like many families from the area, his father worked in New York to support the family. Jimmy was a helpful son to his mother from a very young age. He knew the hardship his mother had to endure raising a family on her own. He remained a devoted son to his mother all her life.

Jimmy did not have the opportunity for much formal education. His work ethic and desire to take care of his family led him to leave China for the United States. He started to work at a very young age and plan for his family. While he was a teenager, one of his first jobs was stocking shelves in a grocery store. Who would imagine a few years later that he would own a successful laundry cleaning business.

In 1948, it was love at first sight when Jimmy was introduced to his future bride and the love of his life for the next seventy-two years, Nga Lan Chan aka Ellen Lee. Jimmy and Ellen worked hard to build a restaurant business in Poughkeepsie, New York (the historical Canton Restaurant) while raising a family of four young children. They endured the hardships of working seven days a week for years to survive. Through all the hardships, they enjoyed a rich family life and made many life-time friends.

Although English was not Jimmy’s first language, he enjoyed reading newspapers; enjoying everything from the comic section to the stock market. Jimmy always enjoyed conversations about the economy and the stock market. The simplest pleasures in life brought great joy to Jimmy. After a lifetime of cooking for others, he always enjoyed a cold beer and a good meal out. He enjoyed his golden retirement by traveling around the world, playing Ma-Jong at the Chinese Senior Citizen Center, and enjoying his grand and great grandchildren. He had an uncanny ability to find happiness in his daily activities. Jimmy loved spending time in the kitchen, creating delicious meals for his family, watering his fruit trees in his garden, and watching Wheel of Fortune.

Jimmy passed away peacefully, with his loving family by his side on March 8, 2022. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Nga Lan. He is survived by his children, Peggy (Danny), Nancy (Rick), Raymond (Bing); nine grandchildren, granddaughters-in-law, four great grandchildren and his loving snack buddy, Kingston.

Jimmy will be forever remembered as offering sage advice to family and friends, being supportive to his loved ones, and always going above and beyond. A loving son, parent, husband, friend, and mentor. His smile and pleasant personality were contagious to everyone he met. He was generous to his family, friends, and his home village in Toisan. He never asked or expected a “thanks” from anyone. He was a true gentleman and will be dearly missed by all of us who had the good fortune of knowing and loving him.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend A Celebration of Life Service to be held on Saturday, March 19th at 9:30am at Greenwood Memory Lawn, 719 North 7th Avenue, Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation on behalf of Jimmy Lee to a local food bank in your area.