William was born in Canton, China in the village of Suey Kwong Lay in Toi Shan County on July 25, 1933. At the age of 18, he then moved to the US to be with his parents. He graduated from St. Edward’s High School in May of 1959 and often worked at Sam Wah Café, his parents’ downtown business and the first Chinese restaurant in Austin. He later returned to Austin from New York in the 1960s to help his parents with their new business, Lim Ting Restaurant, the building which still stands at the 3900 block of South Congress today.
William worked in the restaurant business, eventually becoming the manager of Lim Ting. He loved visiting with his customers and creating a warm, friendly environment for them. He was proud to have Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, and several of the football players on the team as customers while they were in spring training in Austin.
After retirement, he frequented Austin’s Chinatown and enjoyed dining and socializing with the community there.
William is survived by his wife, Yan; his five children, Lily, Beverly, Wallace, Johndale, and Ann; his nine grandchildren, Drew, Joshua, Kevin, Nick, Daniel, Devin, Justin, Kristin, and Thomas.
Visitation 10:00 am – 11:00 am on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home 2620 South Congress Avenue with Funeral Service to begin at 11:00 am.
Interment to follow at Assumption Cemetery.
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