Lily Yuen was born in Phoenix, AZ on October 24, 1933. She was a First Generation American with two brothers, Bill and George, and two sisters, Lupe and Lucy. Lily was the youngest. Her elder brother Bill served the U.S. Navy during WWII while George was rejected because of a football injury. Bill left college to take over the operation of the Yuen Lung Market. All the sisters earned college degrees and George earned three.
Lily worked at a Goodyear store part-time in high school and college and went to work full-time upon graduation from ASU. There she met Charlie Graves who was starting up Western States Tire and he invited Lily to join him. He became her best boss and friend for life.
Lily met her husband William McCormick over hamburgers in Scottsdale and after their marriage in 1971 moved to California—first to Santa Monica and then to Marina Del Rey. Together they acquired Tai-Foo, her beloved Lhasa Apso. In 1980, the McCormicks’ moved to Arizona and Lily worked for several Goodyear outlets until retirement. She was able to visit much of America, both North and South and Asia and Europe. She loved the National Parks and the sea on both coasts. She had a green thumb and was always ready for the next planting season. She loved her niece and nephews and their children and had great relationships with the in-laws.
In 2010 Lily was diagnosed with Early Onset at the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and then with heart valve disease. Lily never offered a discouraging word about her condition. She liked all of her caregivers and was a rock for her extended family and husband.
Lily Yuen McCormick died in Mesa, October 4, 2019. Her husband loves and misses her.
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