Shiu Kei Tam

Shiu Kei Tam was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Shiu Kei was born on October 11, 1931 in Hong Kong. His parents were King Hong and Yin Chun Tam. Shiu Kei was raised in Hong Kong. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in his household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Shiu Kei was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Shiu Kei was raised with four siblings. He had a younger brother, Shiu Wing, and three younger sisters, Wai Fong, Wai Ching, and Wai Ying. Shiu Kei was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Shiu Kei and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Shiu Kei was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Shiu Kei was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Shiu Kei developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Shiu Kei took part in cricket. In his spare time he liked to read. However, what Shiu Kei enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Shiu Kei as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from King's College in 1955. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. Shiu Kei was recognized by a local paper for being first honor in his high school graduating class. Shiu Kei was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Shiu Kei always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Shiu Kei handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Shiu Kei was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Shiu Kei was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Shiu Kei well during his college experience. He earned his college degree at Hong Kong Polytechnic. His favorite courses were math and science.

On December 31, 1961 Shiu Kei exchanged wedding vows with Wai-Lee Chan at the Hong Kong Catholic Cathedral of Hong Kong. Compassionate and devoted to Wai-Lee, Shiu Kei held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Wai-Lee and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Shiu Kei brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Shiu Kei was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Shiu Kei was blessed with three daughters, Louisa, Selina, and Julia. They were also blessed with five grandchildren, Adriana, Alicia, Aidan, Jadelyn, and Jolee.

Shiu Kei greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Shiu Kei enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Shiu Kei was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was senior accountant. He was employed for 33 years by Hong Kong Government. Shiu Kei worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Shiu Kei liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Shiu Kei always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuit was oil painting. Shiu Kei was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Shiu Kei found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included lawn bowl. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Top of his list was soccer.

Many organizations were grateful to have Shiu Kei as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Shiu Kei was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. Throughout his later years, Shiu Kei was an active member of the Craigengower Cricket Club.

Shiu Kei was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was baptized as a Catholic for 62 years. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Shiu Kei sought out practical solutions, not individual recognition. He was always grounded and objective, feeling a strong sense of responsibility for taking care of what needed to be done. This selfless attitude earned Shiu Kei many accolades for his efforts and achievements. Some of his most prestigious awards included Lawn Bowling Tournament awards.

Shiu Kei enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Shiu Kei appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Shiu Kei always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included Alaska, Thailand, Japan, Europe, Canada, Taiwan, and China.

When Shiu Kei’s retirement finally arrived in 1991, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to San Jose. In retirement, he found new pleasure in playing lawn bowl, gardening, and taking care of his grandchildren. Even in retirement, Shiu Kei continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Shiu Kei Tam passed away on April 21, 2012 at home in San Jose, California. Shiu Kei fought a brave battle against parkinson's disease and leukemia. He is survived by his wife Patricia Tam; his children Louisa, Selina, and Julia; his grandchildren Andriana, Alica, Aidan, Jadelyn, and Jolee; his brother Shui Wing and his sisters Wai Fong, Wai Ching, and Wai Ying. Services were held at Oak Hill Funeral Home in San Jose, California. Shiu Kei was laid to rest in Oak Hill Memorial Park in San Jose, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Shiu Kei Tam. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.