Tom Yunchuan Lee

Tom is survived by his wife Lin-Lin Lee (neé Chang), children Nancy, Andy, and Bud Lee.

Born in Yangsing, China on July 15, 1941, Tom was the second born of 5 brothers and 1 sister. After fleeing wartime China to Taiwan in his childhood, he then grew up and joined the military, where he was an airplane mechanic. After completing his service, he worked at many places such as the Taipei Broadcasting Station, and as a chef at the Taipei Hilton, and also earned an associate’s degree in Civil Engineering. He then followed his sister and her family to America, and after he earned his citizenship, he met and married Lin-Lin in 1979 and began their life together in California. They settled in San Jose where they’ve lived for the past 40 years, raising their 3 children. Tom found himself performing as a teppanyaki chef at several Bay Area restaurants for many years, finally retiring in 2011. In retirement, his favorite pastimes included watching Chinese dramas, mukbangs, and American wrestling. He also found great joy in exercising, cooking his famous beef noodle soup, and, above all, sharing meals and playing with his grandchildren.

We celebrate his long life, work ethic, and dedication to his family as we say goodbye to Tom, but he will forever be in our hearts as the most devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather.