Yu Ai Dippe

Yu Ai Dipp? was born Yu Ai Chen on August 4, 1932 in Sandong, China. She moved to Seoul, Korea as a child and attended school there. She and her family lived there through World War II and the Korean War. Toward the end of the Korean War she performed secretarial jobs for both the British and the American Military Forces and in March 1954 met her future husband Donald W. Dipp?. They were married first at the American Embassy in Seoul, Korea on January 18, 1956 and again at the South Post Military Chapel at U.S. 8th Army Headquarters by Lt. Col. Ariel T. Achtermann on February 11, 1956. In September 1956 they were transferred to Tokyo, Japan, where Mark was born at Tokyo Army Hospital on November 9, 1956. In June 1958 Yu Ai and family traveled to the U.S. where Donald was discharged from the Army. They then moved to Seattle, Washington, where Bruce was born on May 15, 1959. In 1960, the family moved to Staten Island, New York, where Donald began his career with the U.S. Public Health Service and where Erika was born July 7, 1960. They moved again in 1961 to Baltimore, Maryland, where Donald took his Ophthalmology Residency and where Stefani was born on December 19, 1962. In June of 1965 the family moved to Anchorage, Alaska, where Yu Ai lived for the rest of her life except for one year in Hawaii 1975-76. Yu Ai loved to fish with her friends and was skilled at cooking, smoking, canning and many other methods of salmon preparation. In the summer of 2003 Yu Ai Dipp? was baptized in Kenai, Alaska, by fishing friend Father Bill Lester. She loved flowers and was a skilled gardener who grew beautiful roses. Yu Ai had six grandchildren who were the focus of her life. While in Honolulu, Hawaii, in January 2005 she was diagnosed with Acute Leukemia and she transferred to the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle for treatment. The treatment was more severe than she could tolerate and she died at 11:30 am on April 12, 2005. She is survived by her husband of 49 years, Donald W. Dipp?; children Mark Merry Dipp?, Erika Todd Denman, Stefani Chris Heaphey; brothers Ronald Chen and Joe Chen; sisters Yu Ryang Chang and Hi Chung Jin; many nieces and nephews; and six grandchildren Austin, James, Tyler, Erika, John and Kaden. She is preceded in death by her son Bruce on May 23, 1976.