Sau Hang Lee

Sau Hang Lee, beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away peacefully on April 4, 2024. She was born on September 25, 1922, in Ha-Pang Village near the Forty-Nine Market Place, Toishan City, Guangdong Province, China. The second child of See-Sek Ng and Nguy-Hai Wong, she grew up with 3 brothers and a younger sister. Her father owned and operated a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, in the early 1900’s before returning to China to retire. Sau attended grade school in Taicheng City where she lived a comfortable life before marrying Benson Lee in 1941 at age 18. At her husband’s home in Dragon Village near the Fifty Market Place, Toishan, she had to learn how to farm the land, growing taro, potatoes, rice, vegetables and raising livestock for food and supplies. Sau was a fast learner and often developed her own methods to improve processes. Using tools of her own invention, she would gather twigs and small branches for firewood and tie them securely before carrying them down the hillside with a carrying pole. When her husband, Benson, left home for the war effort, she continued farming to make ends meet alongside her mother-in-law and brother-in-law, Sam. She would often go salt harvesting in a nearby town with a few other women villagers and carry the salt back home to sell for extra income. The family endured a lot of loss and hardship, especially during the Sino-Japanese war, as elderly family members could not sustain the famine throughout China caused by drought and war.

After the war ended, her husband left for America to work. Looking for a better future and school for her young daughter Annie, Sau and the Lee family moved to Hong Kong to start a new life, leaving the farming village behind when Annie was only 4 years old. In Hong Kong, Sau learned how to sew, invested in a second hand Singer sewing machine, and supplemented the family’s income by sewing Barbie doll clothes at home. Her sister Elaine sponsored Sau and Annie to come to America to reunite with Benson in 1966, ending the long separation between the couple. In Houston, Sau kept busy as a homemaker, growing vegetables in the garden, making Chinese dim sum and pastries, and sewing school clothes for Annie and for clients to make money.

After Annie left for college, Sau worked outside the home as a kitchen helper for several restaurants. During retirement in the mid 1980s, she and Benson joined a senior group for ballroom dancing and traveling, and would also often meet friends at a local mall to walk and talk. Sau was active with the Toishan Girl’s Normal School alumni group, and took pleasure helping care for her grandkids, cooking for the family, and trying new restaurants to explore different cuisines. Even with failing eyesight, she still enjoyed sewing clothes for herself and making alterations for family members. Well into her 90s, she was the caregiver for Benson until his passing in 2023. Sau was a strong and resilient woman, and despite her declining health she stayed positive until the end.

Sau is survived by her sister, Elaine Fongson; brother, Bo-Dep Ng; brother-in-law, Sam Lee; daughter, Annie and husband Rocky Chan; granddaughter, Dr. Johanna Chan and husband Dr. Steven Huang; grandson, Jonathan Chan; great grandchildren, Ellen, Eva and Edward Huang; and nephews and nieces from the Lee and Ng families. The family would like to thank Delia, Helen, Chat, Linda, and Papa Meng for their selfless dedication, love, and attentive care for Mama Lee.

A visitation for Sau will be held Saturday, April 20, 2024 from 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM at Forest Park Westheimer Funeral Home, 12800 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77077.

A funeral service will follow from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM and conclude with a committal service.