Celebrant Pam Meily Vetter


	Celebrating Life Everyone Has A Story...

Wai Shung Chin was born in 1914 in Canton, China. She was the youngest girl born in the family, as she was raised with five sisters and three brothers. Her family was very close. At that time in history, the family had no electricity and they had to carry buckets of water to the house. They worked very hard and learned responsibility at a young age. Wai was a very nice girl and a good student as she went through elementary school. At the age of 16, she married Yow Sing Chin. In 1950, the couple had one daughter, Judy. Over the next decade from 1950 to 1960, Wai worked sometimes as a seamstress in Hong Kong.

Wai was a wonderful mother to Judy as she always told her daughter "I love you." She was very supportive and loving to Judy. Yow Sing moved to the United States to pursue new job opportunities as he found work as a welder. In the 1960s, Wai and Judy joined Yow Sing in the United States and the family settled in Long Beach. While Yow Sing worked at the Long Beach Navy Shipyard, Wai was a devoted wife and mother. She was a perfectionist, a wonderful housekeeper and organizer. In 1977, Wai moved into her beautiful home in Long Beach living a simple life where she lived for the next 32 years.

She visited her sister in Canada and her brother in Sacramento and kept in touch with her extended family. In fact, family was always her priority and she loved her siblings very much. In 1993, Wai studied for her United States Citizenship and passed her tests. Judy took her to the ceremony where she said the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States Flag. She was very proud of accomplishing her goals. She learned some English and she knew her ABCs and she could count to 10.

Known as Papaw, Wai always looked out for her grandchildren. She kept them clean and made sure they were well fed. She'd say "eat this," "eat that," or "eat more." She liked babysitting her grandchildren and once their friends met her, they realized how very sweet she was. She was loving and always smiling.

Wai was always busy as she was always cleaning. She loved to sit at the windows and watch her fruit trees grow. While she was a wonderful gardener, flowers made her sneeze so her garden was filled with fruits and vegetables.

As a great cook, Wai was known for her barbeque pork buns, dim sum dumplings, and special Chinese cake. She loved gardening and grew many vegetables including Chinese broccoli, melons, squash, strawberries and everyone loved her red-hot chili peppers. She loved making oxtail, rice and fresh vegetables in the wok. She made her own snacks by drying sliced apples and persimmons, and she'd dry the skin of the fresh tangerines used for zests in soups. She liked sending dried fruit to her sister in Canada. She also dried pork by hand, as she'd salt it and hang it in the sun. She loved bananas, mangos and tangerines. She had several fruit trees including tangerine, lime, persimmon, donut peaches and kumquat. Her favorite dishes were plain rice noodles with soy sauce and she loved sweet tofu dessert. She also loved eating nuts. To stay healthy, she drank hot water and she always boiled water so it'd be nice and fresh. She never drank tap water.

A creative lady, Wai built knick-knacks and made her own inventions. She kept in touch with her friends and family by writing letters and sending them through the mail. She liked reading Chinese newspapers and Chinese magazines. She'd sing Chinese songs or other songs with her daughter Judy such as "I love you... You love me..." She always told her family "I love you" and blew kisses to Judy every night.

With her colorful spirit in life, she wore brighter, happier colors, especially the color red. She always liked to know what time it was, so her family gave her a digital watch that she loved. She liked wearing earrings and Judy liked buying her earrings. Wai enjoyed traditional Chinese weddings, dressing up for the special occasions, and getting her hair done at the salon. She liked sitting with her family, talking, and spending time together.

With a talent for bargain shopping and grocery shopping, Wai liked comparing prices and getting a good deal. She shopped for food on sale and she was a regular at the market. It was fun for her. When she found something that her daughter or grandchildren liked, she'd buy a lot of it. She took the bus to the grocery store when the kids were in school or she'd walk to the store with a shopping cart. Most of the time she went to the store with Judy as they shopped at Lucky's or they went to China Town in Los Angeles. Wai and Judy went shopping twice a week and if Judy couldn't see the price, she asked her mother because her eyes were great. In fact, Wai's eyesight and hearing were good. Every Friday, when she was able to walk without assistance, Evelyn would take her to the Farmers Market. She loved it there. Everyone knew her and they would always say hi to papaw. She always smiled and she knew exactly which fruit stand or vegetable stands to go to for the best products.

Wai never held grudges as she lived a good life and was loved by her family. Before the age of 90, Wai never got sick as she lived a very healthy life. For her 95th birthday in July, the family took her out to dinner and she enjoyed it. Reaching the age of 95, Wai lived through a tremendous amount of change in medical and technological advancements. She was grateful for living a long life as she had a happy spirit. The family helped Judy retire early so she could be with her mother. They were really best friends in life as they did everything together. Judy called her "My baby" and often said, "I love you." They made each other very happy as friends. They played the hand-clapping game and blew kisses to each other every night. Judy always sat beside her at the dinner table and she shared a bedroom with her so she could hear her sleeping. Judy walked with her, held her arm, and took great care of her mother. When she was in the hospital for three weeks, Judy sat by her beside every day so she knew she wouldn't be alone. Judy was always watching over her. Toward the end, in many ways Wai comforted her family by telling Judy, "I'll miss you guys. I don't want to go, but I love you and I'll miss you."

Wai Shung Chin will best be remembered as a hard working, very nice, very loving mother and grandmother. She was devoted to her family. She was very independent and lived a simple life. Her family was the best part of her life, as she loved her siblings, her daughter and grandchildren. Her purpose in life was as a caretaker and to love her family. She had a happy spirit, as she liked to laugh through life. The family will miss everything about Wai, especially her smile and her laughter. While they will miss her presence, she will always be in their thoughts. To Judy, she was a good mother, good friend and good company. Her advice to her family would be to go on and live your life. Wai Shung Chin will be laid to rest wearing her black and red birthday outfit and her watch on her wrist. She will also have her house shoes, a blanket to keep her warm and her pajamas by her side.

Wai Shung Chin is loved and remembered by her daughter Judy; grandchildren Karen, Evelyn and Alan; siblings, extended family and friends. She will be greatly missed by everyone.