Yee Wo Lam

敬爱的父亲林裕和生于1932年11月27日，广东省揭阳市。他有五兄弟妹妹：上有一长兄，下有一小弟及两个妹妹。当时我爸爸的祖父是爱国爱民的人。拥有一简药材铺常常帮助贫民乡亲们防病治病不收费。爸爸的父亲是村长。他也是爱国爱民的人。当日本鬼子入侵时要我的祖父为他们服务作伪乡长。他坚决不肯，于是逃到穷山僻林里躲了起来。当1945年抗日战争胜利后回到了家来因贫病交加，不久祖父祖母就相继去世了年仅40几岁。

当时我爸爸才16岁就要领着弟弟妹妹们出卖劳力自力更生以种田为生。爸爸他勤奋好学，考入了免费的卫生学校。攻读放射科专业。毕业后很快从技术员提升为技师。然后晋升为放射医师。兢兢业业，勤勤恳恳，任劳任怨，工作认真态度和蔼，平易近人，常常受到病人的赞赏及领导同事的好评。

爸爸妈妈于1956年8月25日结婚，将近60周年了。他们恩恩爱爱相互忍让，相敬如宾，给我们如何保持婚姻永恒树立了光辉的榜样！

爸爸年轻时有很多的爱好和兴趣。象拉二胡，弹扬琴，吹口琴。在医院里每当有文艺演唱活动，都少不了爸爸的伴奏。我仍然记得妈妈唱歌爸爸弹琴的情景。这对我和哥哥都有很大的影响。哥哥林高爱吹笛子，我爱唱歌跳舞，多么美好的记忆。

爸爸妈妈养育了我和哥哥。哥哥勤奋学习成为了高中物理和体育老师，而我学成了内儿科医生。父母为我们的成长感到自豪。非常不幸的是哥哥患了肠癌，30岁就离开了人间。这对我爸爸妈妈打击很大，但他们很坚强。

为了我的美好前途，爸爸妈妈退休后于1987年由菊姨和姨丈办理移居美国芝加哥。放弃了在中国退休医生的优厚待遇，来到陌生的异国他乡，语言不通，但在亲戚朋友的帮助下，很快安定了下来。他们打过餐馆杂工，带过小孩，能上能下。爸爸在Marshall Fields工作了近10年，勤勤奋奋，终于退休了享受到了美国的福利。而我也非常感激我的父母和菊姨和姨丈实现了我的美国梦，我作超声心动图工作，有了心爱的丈夫和3个可爱的孩子。

当爸爸退休后，仍然无微不至的帮我照顾孩子。每天早晨帮孙子准备上学，看他们上下校车。对3个孩子的成长付出了很多的辛勤劳动。并享受了3代同堂的天伦之乐。他经常孜孜不倦地教导我们要勤俭节约，勤奋学习，做一个对世界有用的人。

爸爸他非常勤劳热爱生活，喜欢种花种菜，还分给邻居和亲戚。夏天铲草，冬天铲雪。还帮我和人人家铲草10多年。

当爸爸在中国时工作忙，从未出去旅游过。到了美国这个自由世界后他和妈妈几乎每年都跟我们一家去度假旅游。我们多数是开车去旅游但他们从来没有怨言，一路帮助照管孩子们。每次三代同游都是非常愉快地，我们游览了许多美国得名胜美景。在2000年爸爸妈妈终于回国观光游览了祖国的大好河山还了心愿。

爸爸您的一生是非常有意义的一生。贡献给了你的事业和工作以及养育你的儿女和孙子。虽然你现在离开了我们，但你的音容笑貌，永远留在我们的心中。愿您安息，请您放心，我们会很好照顾和陪伴着妈妈，她是一个意志坚强有才干的人。

感谢亲朋好友们多年来对我们的关心和帮助。　感谢各位光临，圆满了我爸爸的一生。

Yee Wo Lam Biography

My beloved grandfather was born on Nov. 27, 1932, in Guangdong province, China. He was the second eldest of five siblings – he had one elder brother, one younger brother, and two younger sisters. My grandfather’s grandfather owned a drugstore and he helped poor patients by giving them free medicine. My grandfather’s father was a village mayor, who loved his homeland and cared deeply about his fellow citizens. When the Japanese invaded China in the 1940s, he refused to help the Japanese invaders, and was forced to flee his hometown and hide in the mountains. Japan surrendered in 1945 and the war finally ended, and my great-grandfather was able to return his hometown. However, my great-grandparents had lost everything to the Japanese invasion. My great-grandfather set up a great moral example for my grandfather, which shaped and influenced his life deeply and greatly. Because of illness and poverty, my great-grandparents passed away in their 40s.

My grandfather was 16 years old at that time, and he had to take up a parent’s role to take care of his siblings. He did a lot of laboring work to support them. At the same time, he studied very hard and his hard work rewarded him a spot in a rigorous medical school on a full-scholarship. From there he finished his medical training and was offered a position as a radiologist. He was quickly promoted to the director of radiology. My grandfather’s dedication, hard-working ethic, and selflessness earned him a great reputation among his patients and colleagues.

My grandfather and my grandmother married on August 25, 1956. They have been married almost 60 years. They loved and cared for each other. They showed respect and great patience with each other. They set a great example for our family, and they were a good example of a happy marriage.

When my grandfather was young, he had many interests and hobbies. He enjoyed playing erhu, yangqin (dulcimer), violin, and even the harmonica. We heard stories of how people would always find him on stage playing his instruments to accompany musical events in the hospital where he worked. My mother still has memories of the times when my grandmother was singing along while my grandfather played instruments to accompany her. My grandfather sparked the musical interest in my mother and my mother’s older brother. My uncle Michael would play the flute, and my mother would sing. These beautiful memories of family had a tremendous positive impact on my mother and my uncle.

My grandparents worked hard to raise my mother and my uncle. My uncle studied hard and became a high school physics teacher, while my mother studied to become a pediatrician. My grandparents were very proud of them. Unfortunately, my uncle passed away from colon cancer when he was only 30 years old. My grandparents were devastated, but they were very strong during this difficult time.

After this, in order for my mother to have a better future, my grandparents and my mother moved to America in 1987. Thanks to my great-aunt and great-uncle Janice and Tom Wong’s support, they immigrated to Chicago. My grandparents sacrificed their comfort and retirement in China, and moved to an unfamiliar country where they did not understand the language. Thanks to the help of other relatives and friends, they quickly settled down here in their new home. Here in Chicago, my grandparents first worked at a restaurant and also babysat. Then my grandfather took a job working at Marshall Fields, where he worked for 10 years before retiring. Then he was finally able to enjoy his retirement. I am very thankful for this sacrifice that my grandparents made in order for my mother to obtain the American dream. Because of this, my mom now has a career as a cardiac sonographer and a wonderful family, and now we have the chance to live the dream as well.

After retirement, my grandfather helped to raise and take care of us, his three grandchildren. Every morning he would wake up early to help get us ready for school. He would get us out of bed and make us breakfast. He would walk us to the bus stop every day, and walk us back home after school. He would push us on the swing in the backyard, and let us water his plants in the garden. He would attend all of our musical performances, and sometimes he would play the erhu and the harmonica for us. He loved us dearly, and he was able to enjoy three generations of happiness. He encouraged us to be diligent and become valuable people in the world.

Even during retirement my grandfather was a hard worker, and he was also frugal. He loved life, and he kept a very beautiful garden in his backyard. He grew many flowers and vegetables in his garden, and he shared his vegetables with everyone in the neighborhood. He mowed the lawn in the summer and he shoveled the snow in the winter – not only for our house but also for his neighbors. My grandfather did not want to be wasteful. He never wanted new clothes. He would constantly remind us to save electricity and water.

While he was in China, my grandfather was always working, and he was too busy to go on vacations. Once he came to America, he and my grandmother had more freedom to travel, and they would come on vacation with us every year. Our dad is also very frugal, so he always liked to drive whenever we went on vacation. But my grandfather and grandmother never complained, and they always helped take care of us while we travelled. Our family saw many different sceneries and historical places in America together. In 2000, my grandfather and grandmother went back to China in order to travel around and finally see all the places that they had never seen.

My father had a very meaningful life. He devoted his life to his work and to raising his children and grandchildren. Although you have left us, your memory will always live on in our hearts. Now you can finally rest in peace. Don’t worry, we will take care of mom, she is a very strong and brave person.

Thank you, family and friends for your support and condolences. We greatly appreciate that so many people have come to celebrate my father’s life.