Mei Yee Yee

Following the funeral service will be a graveside service from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 3789 Royal Oak Ave, Burnaby, BC V5G3M1.

Mei Yee Yee (余谭媚意) of Vancouver, BC, passed away peacefully on June 18, 2023, at the age of 85. According to Chinese tradition, the three additional years are added to the actual age because at birth, the age starts at one, and we include a year each for heaven and earth.

Mei was born in Kaiping, Guangdong, China on September 24, 1940. The fifth of nine children, she was responsible for supporting her family from the age of 13. When she was 16, she risked her life to flee to Hong Kong to join her father and older siblings who had moved there years earlier to find better opportunities and to help support the family back in China.

At age 24, she moved to Canada and married Roger Bigsun Yee in Chetwynd, BC. A year later in 1967, Freeman was born.

She and Roger ran a small-town Chinese-Canadian cafe while working and living with Auntie and Uncle #6 and their two boys in a suite above the cafe. They eventually sold the business and both families moved to Vancouver for better opportunities. A few years later, her daughter Diane was born and the family moved to their home in South Vancouver, a hub for many memories.

She worked tirelessly to help support her family, at times taking on a second job on top of her work as a seamstress, and to sponsor family from China to come to Canada. Her strength and stamina were impressive right through to her old age.

Throughout her life, she was fun and friendly, loved to make friends and chat with everyone young and old (in Cantonese or English), and would cook and feed you until you burst. She loved to sing, to learn, and would play mah jong jong for 24-48 hours on the weekend, then go back to work on Monday.

Caring for her grandchildren, and for her friend’s children, was the highlight and joy of her life.

Above all, she was always putting other people ahead of herself. Her family and friends will miss her dearly.

She is survived by her son Freeman (余伟民), her daughter Diane (余慧紅) and her four beloved grandchildren Bailey (余宝恩), Maxine (余寶晶), Sullivan (宇亮) and Matilda (宇平) .

居住在加拿大卑斯省溫哥華市 (Vancouver, B.C.) 的余谭媚意（Yee Tam Mei Yee）於2023年6月18日离世返归天國，所以,根据中國傳统計算, 她積閏享壽85歲。

她於1940年9月24日出生於中國廣東省開平市。她是在家中九個兄弟姊妹中排行第五，從13歲起就肩负起養家的责任。为尋找更好的機會並養活在中國的家人， 她在16歲時，冒著生命危險逃往香港， 加入了在多年前就搬到了那裡的父親和同父異母的兄弟姐妹的行列，

24 歲時，她移居加拿大，並在卑斯省切特溫德市 （Chetwynd, BC） 與余碧山（Roger Bigsun Yee） 結婚。 一年後, 即1967 年，大儿子， 伟民 （Freeman）出生。

夫妇两人在小鎮上經營一家加拿大華人咖啡館，跟六妹夫妇一同 工作。当时，六妹夫妇有两个儿子。两家人带着孩子们一同居住在咖啡館樓上的一間套房裡。 后来，他們賣掉了生意，兩家人都搬到了溫哥華尋找更好的機會。 幾年後，女兒， 慧红 (Diane) 出世，全家搬到了南溫哥華的家，那裡藏著不少回憶。

为了帮忙養家， 她辛勤地工作。有時除了裁縫之外還兼做第二份工作，並資助中國的家人來到加拿大。 从年少到晚年，她都表现出令人难忘的坚忍与毅力。

她一生保持友善，慈爱，和谐趣的性格。喜歡交朋友，享受跟不同年纪的人用粵語或英語聊天，喜欢弄东西吃，还不断的要你吃， 直到撑爆你的肚皮为止。 她喜歡唱歌、學習，週末會打24-48小時麻將，然後周一又去上班了。 照顧孫儿女和朋友的孩子是她一生的最大樂趣。凡事她總是先考虑到别人,然后才再想到自已。

现在她走了。 留下兒子余偉民 、女兒余慧紅， 两個心愛的孫女：余寶恩 （Bailey）、余宝晶 (Maxine), 和心爱的 外孙 宇亮（Sullivan), 及外孙女 宇平（Matilda）。 我们和亲友们都会永远想念她。