Melissa Shuet Jing Yip joined her sweetheart peacefully on March 25th, 2020. Born in 1932 in China, Mom grew up as an only child, loved fiercely by her mom and grandma. Determined to be self-sufficient and independent, Mom became a teacher. She loved teaching and was known to be patient and passionate, eager to help her students learn. It was around this time that she was introduced to our Dad (Gary), and so started the story of the rest of us.
Like so many Chinese families of the day, Gary made the move to Vancouver in search of a better life for the family. Despite being far from her spouse and 7 months pregnant, Mom was always able to toil through the challenges that faced her. After more than a decade apart, the paperwork was finally in place for the family to be reunited - Mom and Wayne arrived in Vancouver. Soon after came Melvin (Tammy), Jason, Sandra (Glen), and Colin (Grace).
Following the sudden loss of Gary, Mom, with Wayne at her side, worked hard to provide everything to her young family. She learned English, she worked hard, and she never gave up. She sang, she played mah jong, and she made the best jin doy and sponge cake (almost every day!) She was blessed with many grandkids: Justin, Orion, Alex, Emily, Natalie, and Sophia. She was Mah Mah and PoPo and loved them all dearly. She was a good sport – joining in on games of laser tag and Pictionary; singing and laughing. Mom/Mah Mah/PoPo – you will be missed.
Mom will be interred at Ocean View Cemetery, next to Dad. There will be a Celebration of Life to be held at a later date. Should there be a desire to make a donation in lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer Society of BC would be appreciated.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Dogwood Lodge for all of their care and compassion shown to Mom during her time with them.