Daisy Cheung

In her latest holiday letter, Daisy Lee Cheung, wrote she was “doing well as an 89 and a half year old physically and mentally” ... “doing some reading, knitting, playing some computer games, and light cooking.” She recently discovered a passion for Korean food, and could not get enough kimchi, gochujang, and gochugaru.

So it was a shock to her family that she was diagnosed with end stage congestive heart failure. She passed away on January 26, 2024 in Birmingham, AL after a brief illness. She leaves behind her husband, Herbert Cheung, daughters Sharon Cheung and Melissa Cheung (Chris Kern), her beloved grandchildren Eli Vielguth and Audrey Vielguth, and brothers Joshua Lee and George Lee. She also leaves behind a pile of Korean recipes and well-used cookbooks.

Daisy always greeted the world with curiosity, determination, and a smile. She rarely met an obstacle she could not tackle with grace and optimism. Born in Beijing, China in 1934, her family moved throughout China fleeing unsafe war conditions. Despite the wars, she often talked of her happy and mischievous childhood, chasing chickens with her brothers and feeding bananas stuffed with chili peppers to mean monkeys that lived on their land.

She left her family behind to attend college at Oklahoma Baptist University graduating in 1956. She then attended Bowman Gray Medical School at Wake Forest University, graduating in 1961 as one of five women in her class of 53 medical students.

She then moved to New York City to complete her internship and residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. During this time she loved exploring New York City “running around” with her girlfriends finding cheap and tasty food, or standing in line for hours to get last minute standing room tickets for the Metropolitan Opera. She met her husband, Herbert, during this time, enjoying trips to Tanglewood to hear classical music together, or going up to New England to view the fall leaves.

After getting married in 1966, Daisy and Herbert moved to San Mateo, CA where she continued her medical training with a fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at Stanford University. She used her maiden name professionally (Dr. Daisy S. Lee) and recounts how she was not able to get medical insurance as she had not yet changed her name to Mrs. Cheung. So when she was in labor with her first daughter, Sharon, in 1969, she recalled that she had to wait until midnight to admit herself to the hospital so as not to incur an extra night of fees. Practical, determined and hungry, she passed the time at an Arby’s eating roast beef sandwiches and planning to welcome her new daughter into the world.

Later in 1969, she and Herbert moved their new family to Birmingham, AL, during a time of racial tensions and unrest in the South. Undeterred by the challenges that faced them, they made a home for themselves growing their careers, families and extensive network of friends. Daisy started her own practice as a pediatric allergist. In the early years, the business was often slow, so she would jump rope in her office or re-arrange the furniture to pass the time. Over the years, her practice picked up and she cared for thousands of children and families in the area. Even after retiring over 25 years ago, her family still receives holiday cards and gifts from former patients thankful for her care.

Throughout her life, Daisy embraced her creative side. She designed and renovated her house, developing her dream kitchen that allowed her to cook amazing meals and host friends and family in a comfortable and warm setting. She studied photography, drawing, painting, and sculpture at the Birmingham Museum of the Arts for many years. An avid reader, sewer, and knitter, she was always doing something with her hands. Her kindness and generosity was apparent in all the gifts and meals she made for those in her life.

Daisy loved to travel, learning about new ideas, places, cultures and foods with gusto. While her daughters and grandchildren were growing up, she ensured they traveled the world and learned to appreciate what it had to offer. Each time she went to a new location, she came home and tried to recreate what she had learned or eaten. While her time in Italy provided her family with a delicious version of osso buco, her love of California avocados resulted in some ice cream recipes that are better left with her.

She did not want a formal service but would have loved to gather her friends and family to remember the good times they shared. An informal celebration of life will be set up in the spring of 2024. Her ashes will be scattered in the mountains, by her request. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of these organizations that she supported.

American Heart Association

Community Food Bank of Central Alabama