Dad, we love and miss you. Thank you for everything you have taught us. See you in Heaven! Stephanie and Derek.

DEAR ROBERT:
You and I seldom mixed up in school.  And we had not seen each other again since our last days with DBS.  But that does not matter, for somehow in our youth we had spent a few wonderful years learning and playing under the same roof.  That bond of fellowship will last, and you will be long remembered.
Rest in peace, Robert.

TAI PUI CHENG, HONG KONG

Robert Zee, a classmate who grew up with us at DBS.

I am saddened to hear of the news. My deepest condolence to the Zee family.

I left Hong kong in 1966 and have only returned once for a short visit in 2008. 

Rest in peace, Robert.

It is with sadness and deep sorry for me to learn of your Dad's passing.  It's a great pity that on my most recent visit to Vancouver in August, he felt too weak to meet.

I am very glad that he did attend a dinner we had with several DBS Class of 64 boys not too long ago; he was in good spirit then.  

Although a shy and somewhat reclusive person, he has always been one of the more popular guys in the class and we will all miss him.

Please send the condolences of Aunty Anne, Vanessa, Tiffany, and myself to yourself, Donna and Derek.

I am saddened by the news of the passing of your beloved father.
 
Ah Mee, as your father was known to me, was an unpretentious and kind person. Even though he himself came from a privileged background he never betrayed the true character he was especially to those who were less fortunate than he himself. He gave all he had when he made friends, sincere, truthful and loyal to a fault.
 
Your father was a shy person - I had fond memories of him covering his face with one hand when he walked through a stranger's home - not the sort that would easily reveal his inner fillings; nor open his heart to others except to those he considered close for whom he would do everything....if only he could and if he did he would deliver in his hallmark quiet and subtle manner - this was just the kind of person he was and how he will be remembered.
 
I was privileged to be known to him and counted as a friend.
 
Although we have never met I know you and your brother would be proud to have Ah Mee as your father.
 
In your moment of grief and bereavement please accept my deepest condolences.  We are separated by distance.  But Ah Mee shall always stay close to my heart.  What matters is that he now rests in peace, no more pain and torment - in Heaven among his kind.
 
God bless.

He was known to me as Ah Mee. I first met him when I was 16. He was one year younger. He studied at DBS. He lived at Prince Edward Road . It was close to my school. I saw him often, at times almost daily. My school "La Salle College“ was just across the road. A friendship developed.  It was rare that boys from the two schools mixed let along made friends. 

Later Ah Mee moved. By sheer co-incidence we became neighbors. Mirador Mansion at Tsim Sha Tsui was newly built. His family lived in a large corner unit. Ah Mee's other siblings were well known to me.  There are David (Ida), Alice, Patricia and another boy known to me simply as "Little Fatty".

Ah Mee's father was at work. The flat became sort of a club house. We gathered to chit chat and play poker. It was convenient and sort of a fun place for the boys and girls who hang out there every afternoon.

At times we argued and fought each other, yes, physical fights. When tempers flared and when push came to shove, Ida was always the one who intervened and maintained order. Ah Mee would have nothing to do with it. He would shy away and disappear into his own room. He hated any kind of violence.  He himself was peaceful and loving - a true pacifist by nature.

Ah Mee was shy. Fond memories exist of him using one hand to shield his face when he walked past strangers. He did it to avoid eye contact. That way he did not have to greet people he did not know.

Ah Mee never made trouble, neither for himself nor others. He was always well-behaved, never mischievous. Certainly he was never imposing. He was not the sort that would be disposed to making waves. He was just a very normal and neutral sort of character, mild in temperament and quiet in nature. Pushing others aside to make way for himself was never his way of doing things. I never saw him raised his voice, not even once. He did not have to prove himself in any way. He just went about his business in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. He was always content with his lots.

He was soft-spoken and humble. To his friends he was loyal and sincere. He never took advantage of others. Not surprisingly, he was well liked by friends and foes alike.

What am I talking about? Ah Mee had no enemies. He had only friends. Ah Mee would be missed.

The King family has befriended with the Zee family way back in the 40's when Bob Zee's father and my grandpa were still in Shanghai.  We were the same age and we both went to DBS in 1957.  Bob has at least two elder brothers (peter & David) and two elder sisters (Alice).  David and Alice once took me out for movie in the 60's.
As my family moved to Vancouver in 1994, I got more chance of seeing Bob.  Even after 2004 when my family returned to HK, I kept a close contact with him and I always have coffee with him at Banners a few times each time I visited my daughter in Vancouver.  Bob is peace loving and was captain of form 5C at DBS. We shall all miss Bob.

I was a boarding student at DBS from Sept 1960 till July 1964. As such, your Dad and I had several years of schooling together at DBS. Then, I spent the next 16 years in Canada ( Montreal ) and Boston. I returned to Hong Kong in Jan 1980 and I have been here ever since. As the class 64 class agent, I started a campaign to raise HK$400,000 to name a classroom a DBS in 2004. The final sum raised was over HK$520,000 and to-day, a primary 3 classroom at DBS was named for Class 64 and outside the classroom is a metal plaque inscribed with the names of donors and your dad's name is also there.  Someday, when you come visit Hong Kong, you can go and take a look.
 
I just spoke to another of our classmates, David Liang, who was at the Oregan U in the late 1960s while your Dad was there and David spoke fondly of your father. In the last 5 years, I had the opportunity to visit Vancouver on two occasions but I never had the chance to meet your father. 

My deepest condolences.

Robert was one of my best friends. He was also the buddy of my brother, Fred whom I believe you have been seeing a lot in Vancouver. Robert and I  sit in the same class in DBS. There were numerous days when I spent the afternoon chatting with him at his home at Prince's Edward Road. He introduced a lot of things new to my life .....It was through him that I became a coffee lover. As you have pointed out correctly, Robert is beloved by his friends because of his generosity, passion and charm.  Although Robert's departure grieves me immensely, I find comfort with the thought that, a lovable person like him will certainly enjoy a new life in heaven.

Robert Zee, Our Most Beloved Friend

I have known Robert Zee since 1996. He is one of our best friends whom we will be missed and lost him forever. So far, Robert is the most kind hearted person we had ever encountered. Whenever you asked him to do a favor or assist to do certain things, there was no question asked. He would come fort immediately and helped us to do the things. I met Robert very often from 1996 until middle of 2007, a period of over 10 years. We almost met for coffee, drinks and dinners four or five times a week in Richmond. Whenever we met, he also called other close friends to come along and join us together for â€œchit chatâ€. Hence, we had a lot of good times socializing together for most of the evenings during those days. Unfortunately, from the middle of 2007 until he passed away, I seldom met him because due to the nature of my works which required me to work during evenings and at nights and I had to take rest in the morning and afternoon. Furthermore, I also moved away from Richmond to Vancouver and seldom come to Richmond. I met Robert few times while he was sick and still could drive his car. He said that he was waiting for the cancer treatment when his health should get better. A few times, we called him but he could not meet us. Most probably he was too tired and not feeling good to come out. Unfortunately, the waiting period for him to get treatment was too long which had taken the toll and resulted his demise. Fortunately, On Dec 28, 2010, Ruby and I managed to visit, talk to him and held his hands while he was lying on his bed at the Salvation Army Hospices in Richmond. He seemed to smile when he saw us and asked us how we knew he was there. It was hard for him to talk but he tried his best to talk with us. While visiting him for about 30 minutes, he did not talk much but we did talk to him and he could still remember some very memorable moment and things which were mentioned about a year ago. It was also hard for us to see his physical condition which really broke our heart and feeling. After a few minutes of silent, Robert told us that we could leave. We respected his wish and said OK. We asked him to take care and bid farewell to him. After the visit, I quickly informed a few close friends to pay a visit to him. We planned to visit him again with other friends on New Year day. Unfortunately, I suffered from flu before New Year and told everyone that I was not able to go because I did not want to bring the flu to the Hospices. On Jan 4, 2011, my flu was almost over, then, suddenly, I heard the bad news from Michael Hu that Robert had passed away. It was very sad for us to hear the news and we were deeply saddened by Robert departure.

Robert Zee, A Trusted Friend

I joined DBS rather late but Robert and I started to build a friendship when we became classroom neighbours in F5C. We shared some common interests in English literature, movies and music. He played the clarinet and I the violin and we both enjoyed our time playing in the school orchestra.  Even then Robert showed some signs of being a cynic. He always had a cynical laugh about life and did not display many emotions. What I did notice quite early on was his genuine concern about his friends' performance in school. Before a test he was always there to consult and afterwards to let us know how we did though some of us didn't care that much. 

We were also classmates in L6G for about half a term pondering about our future. I decided to try my luck in London and left Hong Kong in December. When I got there I met up with Au Kin Chung and Timothy Ng and later joined by David Liang Chong Hou. By then Robert felt rather left out and took himself to London after lower six. We spent a lot of time playing poker and going to Chinese restaurants and smoking cigarettes that cost us an arm and a leg. At the end we decided to roll our own but they taste awful and burned very quickly. After A levels we all went different directions and it was quite a few years later that Robert started writing from Oregon. 

In the early seventies the whole bunch of us returned to Hong Kong and met up again. I then found out that Robert's first marriage was on the rocks but in typical fashion he shrugged it off with a cynical remark. Throughout the years that we had known each other he had never complained about others and somehow I could always trust him to deliver. He was very humble and understated and even happy to wear the shoes I left behind in London. He was more expressive with his feelings when he wrote, as he preferred to communicate that way. After we attended his second wedding and wished him luck he left Hong Kong for Vancouver, we only met over a couple of occasions. But I was really glad to be able to see him again when William King organised lunch last September in Richmond. Despite his illness somehow I felt nothing had changed, we still remembered each other as the way we were, just friends who could trust each other.

Robert Zee â€“ A Trusted Friend

I joined DBS rather late but Robert and I started to build a friendship when we became classroom neighbours in F5C. We shared some common interests in English literature, movies and music. He played the clarinet and I the violin and we both enjoyed our time playing in the school orchestra.  Even then Robert showed some signs of being a cynic. He always had a cynical laugh about life and did not display many emotions. What I did notice quite early on was his genuine concern about his friends' performance in school. Before a test he was always there to consult and afterwards to let us know how we did though some of us didn't care that much. 

We were also classmates in L6G for about half a term pondering about our future. I decided to try my luck in London and left Hong Kong in December. When I got there I met up with Au Kin Chung and Timothy Ng and later joined by David Liang Chong Hou. By then Robert felt rather left out and took himself to London after lower six. We spent a lot of time playing poker and going to Chinese restaurants and smoking cigarettes that cost us an arm and a leg. At the end we decided to roll our own but they taste awful and burned very quickly. After A levels we all went different directions and it was quite a few years later that Robert started writing from Oregon. 

In the early seventies the whole bunch of us returned to Hong Kong and met up again. I then found out that Robert's first marriage was on the rocks but in typical fashion he shrugged it off with a cynical remark. Throughout the years that we had known each other he had never complained about others and somehow I could always trust him to deliver. He was very humble and understated and even happy to wear the shoes I left behind in London. He was more expressive with his feelings when he wrote, as he preferred to communicate that way. After we attended his second wedding and wished him luck he left Hong Kong for Vancouver, we only met over a couple of occasions. But I was really glad to be able to see him again when William King organised lunch last September in Richmond. Despite his illness somehow I felt nothing had changed, we still remembered each other as the way we were, just friends who could trust each other.

OBITUARIO

Robert Wing Tak Bob Zee

28 abril, 1946 – 4 enero, 2011

Victory Memorial Park & Funeral Centre

Muestre su apoyo

Comparta Un Recuerdo

Comparta
Un Obituario

Obtenga actualizaciones

Servicios