"Eulogy Good morning. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for coming today, to attend this memorial service for my mom. My mother, Ms Lo Fun Ip, was born on June 19, 1937. She was the only child to her parents. I remember my mom used to tell me that as a daughter, my grandfather used to grant her every wish she had, & her requests were seldom denied. She was very well provided. Although I wasn?t there to witness her childhood, as far as I know my mom had a very happy childhood. Mom graduated from high school in 1955, she then furthered her studies at a professional teacher school for 1 year. She was very passionate about teaching. I still remember her spending hours and hours grading students' tests and hand writing exams. Her hand written exams would then be printed in bulk for her class of students by some old fashioned mimeograph machine, also called a stencil duplicator. Her work had always been thorough and neatly done. Mom taught for 6 years at 1 elementary school and at another for 10 years, and it was within those 16 years that my mom met my dad and got married, and my sisters and I were born. Ultimately my mom had moved back to the very elementary school she studied in, and became a teacher there, and retired there as a senior teacher after teaching there for another 25 years. My mom was indeed more than just my mom, she was also my 4th grade teacher for health education. Besides teaching, Mom was also very passionate about Chinese calligraphy, spent many years learning from a master calligrapher and practicing and even had some of her artworks exhibited several times. I believe her achievement in Chinese calligraphy was a result of both talent and hard work. My mom had always wanted us to have as happy of a childhood as she had and she would always make sure we had what we needed. She chose to live frugally so that her children could have better things in life. I remember my mom would always save up by buying her clothes at bargain prices, walking extra distance to get the best deal on groceries, refraining from buying any luxury items for herself just so she could have enough savings to get my sisters and I what we needed. She was truly generous, she could find joy in giving more to others and not owning more for herself. Throughout our years in high school, mom would always remind my sisters and I that we needed to study well and work hard towards higher education and not to worry whether we had enough money to go to college, as she already knew in her mind very well that she had been saving and preparing well enough to support us to further our studies in college. My mom always emphasized to us the importance of education, the influence it would have on our future. Indeed mom?s thinking has always been far advanced. She didn't just prepare us for college, but prepare us for college ?abroad? just so we would have opportunities to have our career overseas and establish our families somewhere else other than in Hong Kong, where at the time, the British government was about to turn over Hong Kong to China, and the future of Hong Kong remained uncertain and worrisome. Some might think that with all that sacrifice, my mom would demand of her children to land high paying jobs after college graduation, and make a name for themselves. On the contrary, she reminded us that the purpose of education is to learn to be good people, have good morals, be productive to society, and to be able to have a career that is meaningful and that we would truly enjoy, emphasizing that money and fame are not everything. Mom was a faithful believer and had always trusted her life in God?s hand. At times of difficulty, she would always remind my sisters and I that there was no need to worry, just do our best and leave the rest in God?s hand because God already had a perfect plan for us. Mom had a stroke and was wheelchair dependent since August 2002, and in December 2014, she was first diagnosed with liver cancer. Despite these unfortunate events, mom remained optimistic, always focusing on the positive. Thanking God for having my sister Annie and my brother in law Kenneth by her side providing care for her, always recognizing her children, their spouses, her grandchildren and all her friends, both old and new, as her true blessings from God. The following is a last word prepared by my mother: ? Goodbye, friends and relatives! I am glad to embark on the journey of a new life, saying farewell to all the sufferings of the world, leaving no worry behind me. Reviewing my life, I have been submerged in love from my heavenly Father and my earthly father, love from dear friends and I have some small achievements in life, I have also accomplished all my responsibilities and truly have no regrets. I hope that upon my departure today, everyone is at peace, there is no need for sadness or sorrow. Our separation is temporary. One day in the future we will be united again. I wish everyone well!? "
In loving memory of
Lo Fun Ip
June 19, 1937 - June 14, 2021
Ip Lo Fun was born in Hong Kong on June 19, 1937. She was the only child to her adoptive parents. Lo Fun is survived by her three adult children, their spouses and three grandchildren. Lo Fun enjoyed a close relationship with her father throughout the years. He had instilled in her a carefree and optimistic attitude.
Lo Fun excelled in academics. After graduating from high school as one of the top students in her class, she went on to further her study as a teacher. She was a devoted teacher for forty-one years before retiring in 1997.
Lo Fun had a brief break in her teaching career when she immigrated to Canada in 1968. She and her husband, Kung Chik, and their eldest daughter, Angelie, settled down in the city of Hamilton. However, she decided to return to Hong Kong after three months when she found out that she was pregnant with her second daughter, Annie. After returning to Hong Kong, Lo Fun resumed her teaching career and went on to have her son four years later.
Lo Fun and her husband immigrated to the U.S. in December 1998 to join their three adult children. She had lived in the greater Seattle area since then.
In Seattle, Lo Fun continued to enrich herself by attending ESL classes, watching educational programs on the television, learning medical terms and picking up American culture from her daily life. Through her volunteer work at Foss Home, she became a good Bingo player. In order to stay mentally sharp, she played Sudoku daily. Lo Fun also attended church regularly and was blessed with many friendships in her church family. She was baptized in October
2010.
Lo Fun's life was not without challenges. Her husband passed away in 2010. She had a few health issues including a stroke, a burn from scalding water and liver cancer that eventually took her away. Facing all these trials, she remained optimistic and stayed faithful to her belief.