Heartfelt memories and stories shared by those who were blessed to know Yvonne
Words That Describe Yvonne
A luminous tapestry of how family and friends remember her beautiful spirit
Shared Memories
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Winnie Kwok
Youngest Sister
Memorial Service
My Dai Gah Dzeh - My Big Sister
As the youngest of Yvonne's four siblings, I'm attending her memorial from Vancouver where all three of her sisters live. During my final visit, her children were taking turns driving their mother to medical appointments, managing medications and home care, helping with daily tasks, and accompanying her day and night. They surrounded Yvonne with so much love and affection that it was like she was wrapped in an impenetrable aura of love. I remember her making beautiful reindeer-shaped Christmas cookies and mailing them to us, turning our mother's kitchen into a zong-making factory, and teaching me about the healing power of music - we both shared a love for Chopin and Josh Groban. Even during car rides to restaurants in her final days, her children would play her favorite music. I will cherish these last precious memories of Yvonne with her children.
Big SisterMusicCookingLoveFamily
S
Sylvia Kwok
Sister & "Big Twin"
Memorial Service
My Big Twin
Although we were separated by 10 years in age and many miles, Yvonne was my Big Twin. We shared similar facial features, food preferences, color preferences, and an affinity for textiles and sewing. Even before her children were old enough for preschool, Yvonne taught them phonics and arithmetic. I recall restaurant meals in Vancouver where she would point to letters on her T-shirt and ask which letters they were. She knew that in multilingual families, children should learn numbers in the language of their academic training, so while she taught them Cantonese, their numbers were primarily in English. This showed her incredible dedication to giving her children the best opportunities possible.
TeachingWisdomDedicationTwin
C
Charlene Li
Cousin & Friend
Memorial Service
Silk Worms and Songs
I first met Yvonne when I was 12 and she was 13 in Hong Kong. We slept in one big bedroom we called the dormitory and got along wonderfully. She had silk worms as "pets" and made origami boxes for them as homes, giving each box an apartment building name. We both loved to sing and got stuck on the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, singing it constantly. Later, when she came to live with my family in Syracuse for high school, she excelled academically and played piano beautifully at Syracuse University's "China Night" variety show, performing "Buffalo Boy." My parents were very proud of her achievements.
ChildhoodMusicCreativityHong Kong
C
Carina Short
Sister-in-law
Memorial Service
The Smartest Person I Know
Yvonne was the smartest person I know - she could pick up any discipline or skill and excel in it, whether piano playing, mathematics, computer science, real estate brokerage, public health, cooking, sewing, or parenting. When I was heavily pregnant with Adrienne in winter 1984, she dragged her whole family from Maryland to Boston - an 8-hour drive - to cook meals for us. She organized dozens of delicious meals and had them frozen for my time of confinement. Such a generous gift for which I am forever grateful! I am so gratified that she was surrounded by a loving family towards the end.
IntelligenceGenerosityCookingSupport
Family Reflections
Intimate thoughts and cherished memories from those who knew Yvonne best
💝 "One of my favorite things about her is..."
...her love of food: since she enjoys it so much, I've inherited her love of good food.
...how she always finds a better way to be doing the things you're already doing.
...that she is really good at making things (like knitting and cooking).
...how she is willing and eager to learn things and teach others.
...how she remembers the little details about people we care about: like how my friend doesn't eat pork - even I forgot about it!
...her positive attitude and capybara approach where nothing bothers her and she does what she wants.
...how she loves treating her friends and family to a lavish expensive meal but how she is equally passionate about getting free chicken from Pollo Campero and getting rain checks on cheap pork butts.
...how she's taught us that we can learn how to do almost anything we want if we try hard enough to learn it. It's given me more confidence to try new things and believe in myself.
...how nice she is, how she treats people.
...her honesty.
...how decisive she can be and how she get things done.
...how she never stops trying to do her best for other people.
...how generous she is. She even gives cars to people.
🌟 "One of my favorite memories with her is..."
...when she signed up for a gym membership and tried all their fitness classes but didn't enjoy the 'hip hop' one because 'her hips couldn't take the hopping.'
...learning how to make her recipes.
...when my flight was delayed for four hours, and instead of dropping me off, she turned it into an adventure. We explored an aviation museum and had dinner together.
...watching her with her grandchildren as they grow up, and how much she enjoys who they are and just being with them.
...how she has become a mother figure to so many of my own friends who know and love her for big heart.
...her falling asleep so many times during the Shang-Chi movie.
...walking with her in the mall, but especially walking fast past the candy store.
...when she pulled up a step stool right next to me in the kitchen so she wouldn't miss a thing while I cooked.
...eating in so many restaurants with her.
...when we watched movie musicals (i.e 'My Fair Lady' & 'Sound of Music') and afterwards you played one song on the harp and later, taught me a tune on the piano.
...making her laugh so hard that she pees.
Many of my favorite memories involve traveling with her and exploring through different countries, even if it means that I sometimes have to take the top bunk.
...the time when house shopping, she suggested that I purchase a house together with my partner of a month.
...our trip to Williamsburg. It was our first family trip. 😁