Yuk-Lin Yip Lau

Our mom, and to many of you Ma Ma, was born on August 4th, 1927 in the Chinese calendar, year of the rabbit. August 4th has been used on all her official records in the United States, along with an official birth year of 1929. Long story short, her real birthday in the Gregorian calendar is August 30th, 1927. She was born in Macau, a tiny Portuguese colony. And she had more than 10 siblings.

Mom’s early childhood involved moving from city to city in fear of the imminent Japanese occupation. Her parents decided to settle in Hong Kong believing that the British colony would be a safe bet. As you all know, that didn’t turn out to be the case and from time to time, Mom would tell us the horror stories of what she called “3 Years and 8 Months”, experiencing how her mom would dress her up and her sisters as boys every time the Japanese soldiers knocked on the door, and her dad and some of her siblings died as a result of the Japanese occupation, and watched in horror as bombs dropped by the Allied sucked people off the balconies. Partly because of that, she did not have much formal education.

Throughout most of her married life, she had been a housewife. She and dad had 3 sons. In search of better education opportunities for the 3 sons, she and our dad moved the family to San Francisco in 1972. They were very happy that their sacrifices paid off. My brother Koon got his PhD in Astro Physics from Caltech. My brother James had his Master degree from Stanford. And I got my Master Degree from Caltech. I am very happy to know that mom and dad were very proud of us. But this was indeed a great sacrifice for Mom. She missed Hong Kong very much and she missed her siblings dearly. I do find comfort knowing that she was equally happy with our 3 families and loved her grandchildren very much. And often telling us that her daughters-in-law were the daughters that she wanted so much. I always remember mom and dad bringing boxes of food every time they visited us wh

en our kids were small. including her famous soup which the grandkids called “Ma Ma Tong Tong”.

I always remember my mom as such a loving and caring person. Everyone that knew her well loved her so much. My mom might not have realized it. She had impacted and molded countless people throughout her life, last but not least, including me. I am so thankful to be her son.

And I can assure you that my feeling is not alone. I wanted to share with you some of the condolences I have received:

• Alvin, son of my parents’ close friend, shared this with me over the phone: He is always very thankful to my mom and dad. He always remembers mom and dad taking his parents’ family to Disneyland: his very first “big” trip

• Adrain, son of Mom’s sister #4, shared this with me: among all our mother's siblings, Fifth Auntie, together with Fifth Uncle [that’s what he called my parents], had looked after us the most from when we were very small. We felt the same motherly love from her as we had felt from our own mother. She will always occupy a sweet spot in our hearts.

• Maisy, daughter of Mom’s sister #8 said: We are all so lucky to have your mom in our lives. She is most kind, caring, and loving. She has overcome a lot of challenges and has lived a full life. I am eternally grateful for everything she has done for me and my family. I treasure the wisdom she has imparted as I was growing up, our heart to heart conversations. I remember she was the person who taught me how to iron a shirt, and I still use her method to this day! All the wonderful meals she cooked, all the laughter we shared. Auntie's relationship with my mother is a bond that cannot be broken despite time and distance.

• Mathew, Man Fai, son of Mom’s brother #6 said: She has always been remembered by my dad as a caring and kind sister. I can still recall the story that my mom and dad didn't know how to bath me when I was a newborn and they took me to your mom's home for assistance!

• Philip KM, son of my dad’s grand nephew: your mum was a loving, caring and quietly impactful presence in the lives of her family and those who knew her.

Mom, I want you to know that we all love you and miss you very much.