Lawrence Lun Lew's Obituary
Lawrence Lun Lew
September 1, 1922 – August 23, 2017
Lawrence (Larry) Lew, 94, passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 23, 2017, just shy of his 95th birthday. He was born in San Francisco on September 1, 1922, the 2nd of 5 children of Way and Kim Jee Lew. On August 17, 1947, Larry married Evelyn, the love of his life. They had 3 daughters: Christine, Laurie, and Elise.
Larry spent several of his elementary school years in Guangdong, China and maintained his Cantonese language ability and literacy throughout his life. Even in his late eighties, one of Larry’s favorite activities was doing advanced level high school Mandarin homework with his grandchildren . Upon his return to San Francisco, Larry attended Francisco Jr. High School and Galileo High School.
Larry was a WWII Veteran, serving in the US Army from October 1943 to June 1946. His main assignment was at Fort Snelling in St. Paul, MN, where he was the company clerk. He was later assigned as a translator in China Theater Headquarters in Chungking and Shanghai in 1945. His month-long journey from NY to China were some of the most memorable moments of his life. He especially recalled spending VE Day in Times Square and flying over the Himalayas, which he adoringly called the “hump”.
After the war, Larry went on to earn a Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Elementary Education and a Masters Degree in Education Administration from SFSU. He spent his entire career working for the SFUSD as an elementary school teacher, field psychometrist, District Test Coordinator, and project manager of a pilot Chinese Bilingual program.
Always the teacher, Larry was especially proud of his Sut Yung Ying Yee television series where he taught practical English to the Chinese community. Although his mother had been in the US for over 50 years by the 1970’s, she learned more English by watching her son on TV than she did through real time communication.
Larry was a lifelong member of the Chinese Congregational Church in San Francisco, a master bridge player, and an avid scratch golfer. One of Larry’s fondest accomplishments was when he shot a hole in one!
Family and friends had a tender spot for Larry’s kindness, steadfastness, and beautiful soul. His witty sense of humor, gregarious nature, and passion for life will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.
Larry was preceded by the untimely death of his precious 3-year-old daughter, Laurie in 1958, and his beloved wife Evelyn in 2009. He was the last surviving sibling of the Lew family; George, Edith, Marshall, and William. He is survived by his daughters Christine Quan (Benson) of El Cerrito and Elise Louie (Henry) of Honolulu, his 4 grandchildren, Geoffrey (Michelle) and Gregory Quan, Kyle and Mikaela Louie, and his treasured great grandson Dash Quan.
Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life which will be held on Friday, October 6, 2017 at 11:00 am at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611.
In lieu of flowers, please honor Larry’s memory with a donation to your favorite charity in his name.
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