Annie Sui Lee

Annie Lee, also known as Sui Fun Ho Lee, was born to Woo Sun Ho and Po Lin Kwok Ho in Canton, China on October 5, 1947. She was the second daughter of nine children, and came to Hong Kong with her family when she was two years old. Her younger siblings were all born in Hong Kong.

Annie grew up and attended school in Hong Kong. One of the schools she attended was called "Little Flower's Catholic School." Kids in the 50s or 60s did not have the luxury of going to summer camps or vacations with their families, and instead worked to earn money for the family. Annie and her siblings were no exception. One of her summer jobs was selling desserts like red bean soup, sesame pudding, and walnut pudding made by her mother.

Annie and her husband Peter have known each other almost all their lives. Although they were neighbors growing up, their romance did not flourish until Peter noticed Annie in her teenage years. In the hopes of catching her attention, Peter began to walk past her house many times each day. They eventually married on March 6, 1968 and became parents a year afterward with the birth of their daughter, Susana. A few years later, Annie gave birth to a second child, their son Benjamin. Annie and Peter were happily married for over 44 years at the time of her passing.

With the help of her older sister, Annie's family of four moved to the United States in 1974. Her parents and her four younger siblings later immigrated to the United States in 1978. She welcomed them wholeheartedly and helped them settle down. Because of her compassionate nature during this challenging time, her parents and siblings will forever appreciate her efforts to help them acclimate to their new lives in the United States.

Annie worked at the Lear Siegler Astronics Division in Santa Monica (which later became the BAE Systems) from 1978 to 2002 in the electronic PCB assembly lines. The company was famous for their innovation of the telemetry and navigational instrumentation for the Apollo Moon missions. For over 24 years, she held many positions including an assembler, a planner and a production supervisor although her core work remained in circuit card assembly and repairs in solving test failures. She was always a team player and conscientious in delivering her work the highest quality. Because of the company relocation, she joined Northrop Grumman in early 2003 and worked as an assembler until she suffered a stroke in September 2009. The work was always a big part of her life and she made so many friends over the years at work. Amazingly enough, she was able to maintain friendship with many close friends even with her busy family life.

Annie was very adventurous and enjoyed experiencing new things. She and Peter took many trips together, and have traveled back many times to Hong Kong and China. Annie and Peter also took trips to Alaska, Mexico, Japan, Canada and the Caribbean. She hoped to fulfill a lifelong dream of traveling through Europe and, in particular, to visit England.

In addition to her adventurous personality, Annie was also known for her generosity and kindness. She worked tirelessly to help friends and family in any way she could. Her compassion also manifested itself through her passion for arts and crafts. She became an expert in cooking, baking, sewing, crocheting, knitting and quilting. Because she was so interested in her different hobbies, she also found time to attend many classes in upholstery, quilting, cooking, and embroidery. Her projects became gifts to her family and friends, and she often entertained her relatives with afternoon teas and numerous Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

After the tragic events of September 11, she created American flags out of safety pins and beads to sell at holiday boutiques at churches around town. She later donated the profits she earned to charity. A few months before she fell ill in 2009, she inspired her two younger sisters to make scarves for American soldiers. Her sisters encouraged her to recover so they could deliver the scarves together.

Needless to say, our whole world changed after her debilitating stroke in the fall of 2009. Despite this tragic event, Annie was graced with the arrival of two new grand-daughters born four months apart earlier that year. Her death came quickly and peacefully on July 7, 2012.

Annie is survived by her mother, Po Lin Kwok Ho, her husband Peter, daughter Susana and her husband Kenneth, her son Benjamin and his wife Jamie, and grandchildren Henry, Rhys, Dominic, Alyssa, Kristin and Charlotte. She is also survived by her older sister Alice, her husband John and nieces Amy and April; her sister Sharon and her husband Patrick, nephews Brian and Eric; her sister Louise and her husband Christopher, nephew Phillip, niece Victoria; her sister Alison and her husband Willie, her niece Jacqueline and her nephew Andrew; her sister Ellena; her brother Raymond and his wife Carol, and her niece Abigail; her sister May and her niece Eva and nephew Ethan. She leaves behind many close friends and other extended family members whose lives were touched by her presence and whose hearts will be heavy in her absence. She was much loved and will be deeply missed.