Kyala Tsai
We miss our neighbor Louise! We lived across the street from each other for almost 20 years and became good friends and helped each other out whenever we could. We enjoyed each other’s company and shared many wonderful memories.
Louise took care of our eldest son, Toby, every day for about 4 years and he called her Baa-Chan. They had such a sweet relationship! Eventually Toby got too big and energetic to be contained in Louise’s living room, but our relationship stayed strong.
We would celebrate birthdays together, our parents would make sure to visit Louise when they visited our family, and I enjoyed cups of green or ginger tea while listening to Louise’s life story in her living room or garden. We shared the love for plants and exchanged many gardening tips.
Louise would invite us to the annual Church Bazaar and the Bon Dance of the Buddhist Church of Alameda. Jeng would repair little things in her house when needed and she looked after our plants when we were on vacation.
During the pandemic Louise showed how tough she really is. It was not easy being on her own every single day for the duration of the pandemic, but she made it through. We celebrated the time when we could see each other again, masked and vaccinated on Louise’s front porch bench – without the tea – and caught up on all that had happened. A big thank-you to Robin and Gil for being there for Louise so consistently during the difficult time of the pandemic!
Louise, we miss you dearly, and you will be forever in our hearts! Thank you for opening your heart and your door to us.
In loving memory, the Tsai Family.
Jeng, Kyala, Toby and Julian