Yenna Chew's Obituary
My name is Bessie Lim. Yenna and I had been friends for almost 50 years! My memory bank was full of precious moments of the time that we spent together……
Yenna came from Hong Kong with her Mother and younger brother when she was young in the 1960’s. She attended Westlake Junior High School and Oakland Technical High School in Oakland. She graduated from Merritt Jr College.
She worked for Milen Jewelry Store as a clerk in early years. Then she worked for Naval Air Station in Alameda as an Account clerk. At later years, she was transferred to IRS after the base closed around 1996. She retired in 2013.
Yenna was not a talkative and outgoing person. However, she was a devoted daughter to her mother when her mom was gravely ill. She took loving care of her younger brother when their mother passed away! She loved sewing in her younger days, making her own clothes! She had a great memory for remembering birthday and anniversary dates of people she knew!
After she accepted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior in 1973 and got baptized in 1974, her perspectives in life had changed. She devoted much of her time in studying the Bible, reading Christian literatures and doing daily devotion and praying. She was a member of the Chinese Independent Baptist Church in Oakland. She participated in church ministries such as singing in the church choir, serving as secretary in the Cantonese Youth Fellowship and serving at Summer Enrichment Camp for kids.
It was the desire of her heart to share God’s Salvation good news with her friends and relatives, to introduce them to the Lord Jesus as the only God and Saviour in the world. Although she said she did not know how to share God’s Salvation verbally, the way she did it was to make up small bags of candies and cookies, inside the bag she put a Gospel tract that explained God’s Salvation message and how to be saved! She gave these bags to people that she came into contact with!
Because of her pancreatic cancer, she experienced the reality of her Lord Jesus Christ deeper! Ever since her cancer diagnosis in February 2025, she had gone through a lot of suffering with major Whipple surgery, chemotherapy, insertion of nephrostomy tube into each kidney and lastly had the insertion of a peritoneal drain into her abdominal area to drain out the cancer produced ascites fluid periodically. On top of that she lived with the persistent severe lower extremity edema on both sides which had limited much of her mobilities and daily activities! Her oncologist told her there was no treatment to relieve the severe swelling! Many times when I assisted her to change into the hospital gown in the Emergency Room, she commented on the severe changes that her cancer had caused on her body! That made me feel very sad and helpless!
I was touched by her resilience, perseverance and her unwavering faith in God! Her trust in God gave her the strength to carry on, to hang on and to battle with this aggressive cancer day by day. She still tried her best to take care of her younger brother’s needs! Step by step she walked with God closely with God’s hand tightly in hers until she reached her Heavenly Home on November 3, 2025!
It is true that no time or tide can erase what is written in our heart! Rest in the arms of Jesus now, Yenna! No more suffering, pain, sickness, sadness and worries! Sing praises to the God that you love and adored with the Host of Angels! We miss you dearly! We shall see you again in our Heavenly Home!”
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