Wu Moy Kou Tam was born January 17, 1922, in the village of Pak Miu, Zhongshan District, Guangzhou Province, China. She was the second of six children. Through an arranged marriage at the age of sixteen, she married her schoolmate’s brother, Alfredo Mantac Tam, on April 25, 1937. Alfredo lived in Peru and had travelled to China for a bride and to build a house where they would ultimately retire. The first child, Kuay Heong (Kalonne), a daughter, was born the following year while her husband travelled back to Peru to attend to business. These were troubled times in China due to the Japanese invasion. Whenever there was a Japanese raid, Wu Moy with daughter would ride a bicycle to Macau, a safe haven for refugees.
With the impending Japanese occupation, it was decided that she would emigrate to Peru while her daughter would remain with her grandparents. Wu Moy temporarily moved to Hong Kong until her residency in Peru was established.
Wu Moy traveled to Peru in 1952 and reunited with her husband. She had four additional children: Edward, Lucy, Nelly and Hector. Wu Moy learned to speak Spanish when they opened a grocery store in 1959; she ran the daily operations of the grocery store. Because of political turmoil in Peru, Wu Moy left for Macau in 1969 with her three youngest children and reunited with her oldest daughter, Kuay Heong, and her family. Wu Moy remained in Macau for 10 months and returned to Peru as the US residency application was in the final stages.
With the approval of the US residency application, Wu Moy and the entire family emigrated in April 1972 to San Francisco, where her older sister Goon See Lum lived. Eventually, her eldest daughter Kuay Heong was reunited with the rest of the family in San Francisco in 1985.
While in San Francisco, Wu Moy worked as a seamstress for ten years before retiring 1983. Wu Moy’s priority was for her children to be good students and graduate from college. During retirement, her primary wishes were to take care of her three San Francisco grandchildren until they attended preschool. Wu Moy loved to cook, and her specialties were dim sum, mooncakes, joong, sesame balls, Peruvian dishes (papa rellena) and even her own rice wine. She managed to grocery shop daily and prepare a large meal for her children, their spouses and grandchildren every Friday. She sponsored Thanksgiving dinners for the extended family for decades. She also joined the family on many vacations and cruises. She enjoyed good health until her mid-nineties when she had a stroke that impacted her memory and started her physical decline. At the end, her condition deteriorated as she had difficulty walking and maintaining balance. Wu Moy passed away during her sleep on July 28, 2020.
Wu Moy Kou Tam is survived by one brother, one sister, and her 5 children, Kalonne, Edward, Lucy, Nelly and Hector; 6 grandchildren, Jackson, Jonathan, Marcella, Nicholas, Kristen and Brian, 6 great-grandchildren, and many nephews, nieces, and their families.
Burial service for the family were held on Friday, 08/07/2020. In Lieu of flowers donation can be made to your favorite charity.
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