It is with great sadness that the family of Fon Lam Chin announces his passing after a brief illness, on Monday, April 15, 2019, at the age of 92 years. Fon will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 64 years, Jean and his children Lori (Michael) Lau, Dexter (Molly) and Roderick (Nikki). Fon will also be fondly remembered by his six grandchildren, Karissa, Kevin, Kara, Aliya, Kiana and Riley, by his sisters Rose (Al) Young and Jean (David) Wong. Fon was predeceased by his brothers Non, William, and Yu Guang.
Born in Lewistown, Montana, the son of Him Chin and Lui See, he was 27th generation of the Chin family. Fon lived in Lewistown before moving to Guangdong Province in China with his family at the age of 6.
At the age of 13, his father sent him back to the United States, where he lived and worked ironing clothes at his cousin’s New York wet wash laundry mat and attended the local public school.
In 1943, he moved to Billings, Montana where he worked at the St. Lewis Café.
In 1944, he was drafted into the US Army where he was a rifleman and cook. He served in the 17th relief division of the Third Army under General George Patton and fought on the front lines of France, where he was wounded by shrapnel, earned the rank of sergeant and awarded the Purple Heart.
After serving in the Army for almost 2 years, he relocated to Oxnard, California where he lived with his brother, Non’s family, helping around the house and caring for Non’s four girls. During this time, he attended the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California and graduated in 1948.
A year later, he relocated to Seattle, where he worked for the Puget Sound Navigation Company on the Seattle to Victoria Ferry, performing various duties. In 1953, he worked as a cook at his brother in law’s restaurant, Andy’s Café, at which, he later became part owner/manager until his retirement in 1994.
In 1955, he spent 4 months in Hong Kong where he met and married his wife, Jean. He returned to Seattle with his bride where they raised their three children. He spent his remaining years traveling with his wife, children and grandchildren, eating at Chinese restaurants (his favorite food), and spending time playing and talking to his grandchildren.
Fon loved photography, big band music (especially Lawrence Welk), Mariners baseball, following the stock market, good food and ping pong.
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