David W. Lai

David Lai Wing Yuen was born on May 16th, 1947, in Hong Kong. He was baptized at Saint Teresa’s Church in Hong Kong and was the eldest of 2 sons. From a young age he played basketball and pool and developed a passion for music. His passion for music led him to form a band in the 1960’s called TNT, which included him as the drummer, his brother Louis on bass guitar, and his friend, and future Hong Kong music legend, Roman Tam, as the lead singer.

David married his wife Christina Chan Ying Ling, on February 6th, 1971. He took on a position with German mail-order catalog company Otto Versand, where he learned to read English by memorizing his boss’ letters. Taking what he learned from Otto Versand, he created his own companies Novitas Investment and Development Co. Ltd., and Novitas Watch Ltd. After moving to the United States, he also developed a printing business, coffee shop, mortgage company, along with various other side businesses.

Later in life, David was hit with many medical challenges. He had a stroke in his fifties, followed by a prostate cancer diagnosis, and kidney failure. Despite all these challenges, he survived and lived life to the fullest and became a devout Catholic again. He was a member of the Legion of Mary where he would go with other members to visit the sick and elderly and pray. He later reestablished his passion for music and joined the choir at St. Louise in Bellevue, WA.

David passed away on September 21, 2025, in Bellevue, WA, at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Christina; 3 children, Nicholas, Cassandra, and Alexander; 6 grandchildren, Genevieve, Eunice, Daphne, Leah, Dashiell, and Paxton; and 1 great-grandchild, Lake.

The family will welcome friends on Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Sunset Hills Funeral Home, 1575 145th Place SE, Bellevue, WA 98007. A funeral service will begin at 11:00 AM, with interment to follow at Sunset Hills Memorial Park. A reception will occur Thursday, October 2, 2025 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM at the funeral home.