He was a resident of Honolulu, Hawaii, for 43 years. Norman was born on the 14th day of the second month of the lunar calendar in Shantau, China, in 1943 and lived through the days when the communists took everything away from home and business owners. Gone were his father’s fishpond and grand house as the family had to escape to Hong Kong for refuge, carrying only what they could at a moment’s notice. Sadly, they were forced to leave several children behind. Norman and his brother Philip would skip school in Hong Kong whenever they didn’t have money for field trips and their names would go up on the
classroom board. Still, that did not stop them from swimming and other fond stories they shared
with their children, nieces, and nephews about their gallivanting days.
Norman and Philip immigrated from Hong Kong to the United States, first landing in California, where they would travel up and down from Los Angeles to San Francisco, looking for work to support their families— Then, Norman and Rose, who he married on March 13, 1973, and a 5-year-old son and a baby girl on the way. Norman bought his first American car –shortly after his daughter was born. He was proud of his Chevy Nova, and soon moved to Hawaii to manage a Chinese movie theater, which was part of the international chain of Golden Harvest movie theaters that his brother Peter started with Raymond Chow. As Jack Tsui, the owner of Panda Travel, would say, “Norman was a legend and will be forever remembered as the owner of Golden Harvest Theater in Honolulu.”
The theater closed in 1996 and Norman and Rose enjoyed their early retirement. But hardly a
retiring type, Norman had a daily routine of keeping up with current events and technology, sticking to an avid ritual of watching the news and making weekly trips to Best Buy to test drive the latest Dell and HP laptops, followed by a simple meal at McDonald’s. Rose, his loving wife of 50 years on March 13, 2023, made his meals three times a day, and he was responsible for making tea after each meal. He had it down to a science; you can’t steep the tea for too long or too short. We still see him watching the clock and hear him when the perfect second was reached.
Norman is survived by Rose, his wife of 50 years, his son, Derrick (Alice), and his daughter, Caroline, and granddaughter, Clara.
Norman’s employees at the Golden Harvest Theater absolutely adored him. He loved greeting guests at the theater and made lifelong friends with regulars. Norman was easy going, considerate, and generous. He worked hard and believed in fighting for everything that he wanted for his family and his life. We are all better people thanks to Norman and how he instilled strong values of right and wrong, punctuality, and tradition -- values that we will pass on for generations.
The Choi Family asks that donations in Norman’s memory be made to charities and causes he
supported, including
The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Parkinson’s Foundation
The Choi Family appreciates all your love and support.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.BorthwickOahu.com for the Choi family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.0