James F. Chin's Obituary
James F. ChinJames F. Chin was born in Denver, Colorado in 1910. He succumbed to heart failure May 20, 2010, passing away peacefully about a month shy of his 100th birthday at the Palo Alto, California home in which he raised his family. His wife Mary Wah of 67 years, their children Dr. Loretta M. Chin, Dr. James B. K. Chin (and wife Tracy), Dr. Martin B. H. Chin (and wife Kaylynn), and grandchild Lauren K. Chin, as well as a large extended family in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Colorado survive him. James was a third generation American whose grandfather, Sou Lin Chin, immigrated to Colorado in 1856. James attended the University of Colorado at Boulder. During WWII, James served in the Army Signal Corps installing communications equipment. He worked for General Electric and then Pacific Gas and Electric as an electrical engineer. James had a sweet tooth and an affinity for anything comprising a motor. He always maintained a special interest in the design and technical features of automobiles, possessing a unique, intuitive sense for anything mechanical. An avid tinkerer, his private workshop is a marvel with seemingly every spare nut, screw, and washer ever accumulated methodically organized into appropriately sized preserve jars; a visual as impressive as it is endearing. His house is customized with numerous, ingenious inventions. An ever-manicured garden with precision-trimmed boxwood and a symphony of fruit trees exemplifies his attentive disposition, and the desire that future family generations be as well cultivated. Friends are invited to attend James' visitation and interment on Friday June 11th at 1:00 to 2:30 PM at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, California.
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