Edward Yip's Obituary
Edward Yip was born on May 11, 1922 in Los Angeles, CA. He was the third child of five born to Homer and Grace Yip. At age of 19, his uncle in San Francisco wanted to sponsor one of Homer and Grace Yip’s children to attend University of California at Berkeley. Edward’s oldest brother, Howard, passed on the opportunity, so Edward was the chosen one. While in San Francisco, he lived with his uncle and aunt and worked at the family gift shop on Grant Avenue in Chinatown. It was there that he met Lucie Wong on a blind date.
At the height of World War II, he decided to work as a welder at Bethlehem Steel from 1942-1943 to receive a wartime draft deferment from the military, hoping that he could still attend the University when the war ended. However, when his deferment expired, he joined the Navy in 1943 and was assigned to the battleship, New Mexico. On the fateful day of May 12, 1945, the New Mexico was struck by kamikaze. Fortunately, Edward was on the opposite end of the ship and survived.
He was discharged from the Navy in 1946 and married his sweetheart, Lucie Eleanor Wong, on May 12, 1946 but never completed his plan to attend college. After the end of World War II, Edward and Lucie lived on Buena Vista Avenue in Alameda above his brother-in-law's herbalist office. In 1967, he moved his family of four to a home on Broadway in Alameda, where he remained until his death.
Edward worked in the produce department of various markets in the East Bay. In the 1950's he worked at City Market on Webster St. in Alameda. He then worked in other markets in the East Bay and fostered many friendships with his co- workers and their families.
Edward was a kind, friendly and caring individual. His greatest pleasure in life was caring for his family and having a genuine interest in other people and their lives. Edward always had kind words for everyone he met, and his genuine interest in others made him stand out in a gentle, quiet manner. Once you met him, he touched your heart and you would never forget him. Edward also had a quick wit and loved to joke around. He remained a consistently positive person, never complaining. He kept a fastidiously clean and tidy house and was impeccably organized. His passion was going to the horse races and he knew how to pick the horses. He recently won $500 at the races and then gave it all back to his grandsons, an example of his generosity.
Edward loved his grandsons dearly, who affectionately called him 'Gung Gung.' He was always interested in his grandsons' lives, and attended most of their sporting events and concerts, from preschool through high school. He remembered their friends and regularly asked about their well-being. He taught his grandsons valuable lessons, such as how to survive in college by teaching them to say 'send money' in Chinese whenever they called home. He cherished fond memories of babysitting them when they were young.
He was devoted to his wife, Lucie, and his purpose in life was to take care of her and make her happy. For instance, most weekends he patiently drove her to Southland Mall and waited around for her as she shopped. They stayed home most of the time and enjoyed watching the Bay Area sporting teams on TV, as well as reality shows such as Dancing with the Stars and American Idol. Edward provided loving care to Lucie during her illness while still maintaining his household chores, driving and inquiring about the health of family members and friends. He died peacefully on May 12, 2013'the day after his 91st birthday and on the day of his 67th wedding anniversary.
Edward was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather and great neighbor and friend, never too busy to help others even on days when he wasn't feeling well. He will be deeply missed by his family and to all who knew him.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Lucie; his brothers, Howard Yip and Thomas Yip; and his brother-in-law, Thomas Ng. He is survived by his daughters, Gerri White (Paul), and Denise Yee (Ron); his grandchildren Chandler White, Brant White, Brandon Yee and Tyler Yee; his sister Rosie Wong; his brother Sinclair Yip (Mary); his sister-in-law, Ruby Ng, and many nieces and nephews and many other members of his extended family who loved him for his gentle and kind spirit.
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