Koon "Lam Ba" Lin Lam
Help us celebrate Koon! Please share your stories and photos.
Mr. Koon Lin Lam, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully at the grand age of 98 in California on April 1, 2021. He was surrounded by family and in the comfort of his son’s home.
Mr. Lam was born on February 10, 1923 near Guangzhou in Guangdong, China, and immigrated to the United States in the late 1970s. He was responsible for scouting retail locations for his family's businesses in China and managed textile factories in Hong Kong. While living in the States, Mr. Lam was a successful restaurateur and entrepreneur. Alongside his children, he owned and operated various businesses in the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania tri-state. Mr. Lam was a hard worker and had incredible business acumen; he spent his life supporting his family and achieving the American dream.
In 1942, Mr. Lam married his wife, Lee Lai Lam (née Mei Lai Lee.) They raised their family, both together and apart, for nearly seventy years. The early years were arduous as a consequence of the Chinese Civil War and World War II, and, later, the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. Lam made difficult decisions following the repossession of private family businesses and the strict enforcement of rations during this time. Mr. Lam eventually fled to British-occupied Hong Kong, without his wife and children, in pursuit of better opportunities. He later immigrated to the United States, where he and his family were finally reunited as adults.
Mr. Lam lived in New York for a few years but started his first restaurant business in Teaneck, New Jersey. He later moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to establish additional businesses. He was affectionately known as “Lam Ba” or Older Uncle Lam in the Philadelphia Chinatown community, where he frequently took part in the Cantonese practice of “yum cha” or drinking tea. His 80th birthday, a landmark milestone in Chinese culture commemorating a full circle of life, was proudly celebrated by his children and grandchildren in Princeton, New Jersey. Mr. Lam resided in Philadelphia well into his retirement years. He moved to California in 2011 and lived there with his sons until his death.
Mr. Lam is remembered as a responsible father who cared for his children and did his best to teach and guide them; he was a deeply cherished grandfather and great-grandfather to many. He was an innovative, driven, and upstanding man, and his life has been a thorough achievement.
Mr. Lam spent his life with his partner, the now late Lee Lai Lam, by his side. He was a loving father to Mei Ping Tsang, Wo Hong Lam, Mei Hop Wong, Mei Kuen Leung, Ken Wokin Lam, and Benson Lam; he was a caring grandfather to Willam, Jenny, Karen, Michael, Vicky, Philip, Becky, Virginia, Valerie, Stephanie, Lily, Anthony, Bowie, Jimmy, and Raymond; and is known as “Tai Yeh” or “Tai Gong” to his great-grandchildren Jade, Alexandria, Madison, Jayden, Jaiden, Emerson, Kieran, and Greyson.
Mr. Lam is survived by his sister Yu Ming Yan of Hong Kong. He was also the brother of the late Koon Dai Lam of Hong Kong, the late Koon Chuet Lam of Guangzhou, the late Koon Wah Lam of Hong Kong, the late Yu Ai Lam of Hong Kong, and the late Koon Fong Lam of New York.
A private family viewing will be held at Stretch Funeral Home on April 16, 2021, followed by a memorial service at Hillside Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in memory of Koon Lin Lam to the Dementia Society of America online via www.dementiasociety.org/donate or by mail to PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901.