James Kwang-Yi Lo

James Kwang-Yi Lo left this life peacefully for life eternal at the age of 85 on February 11, 2020, surrounded by the love of his children at his assisted-living home in Oakton, VA. Born in 1933 on the island of Amoy (now Xiamen) in southeastern China, he was the fifth son of thirteen children. While his family had once been prosperous, they lost everything in WW2 and the subsequent Communist takeover. Under Japanese occupation during the war, James was forced to leave school as a child to do heavy labor each day clearing rocks from land to help build an airstrip for the Japanese military, while he and his family suffered from starvation. After the war, his older brothers went to Taiwan to find work, and they helped bring their parents and younger siblings, including James, to Taiwan—fleeing the Communists while bombs fell nearby, on the last boat out of the harbor after the captain called out James's father from the crowd by name (vs. number order) and then escorted them to the front of the line to make it onto the boat as it became full (some speculate that the captain and others on the boat recognized the family name from the extensive pre-war charity work of James's grandfather building local schools and orphanages). His parents and older siblings worked hard to build a family business as refugees in Taiwan, and with their support, James continued his education. Despite missing years of school during the war, he excelled academically and went on to earn a B.S. degree at a university in Taiwan. After completing his military service, James came to the U.S. and completed a master's in mathematics at the University of Texas, Austin. From there, he moved to California and worked at Cal Tech and then Computer Sciences Corporation / Infonet as a computer scientist. He also met and married Ginger, who attended the same church. After becoming a citizen and establishing himself in Los Angeles, James and Ginger helped many of his siblings and his parents also move to the United States, all while raising four children of their own. They were married for 36 years until her death from cancer in 2002.

James was a man of strong convictions and independence, becoming a Christian while in China and marrying his Caucasian bride (both choices strongly opposed at the time by others close to him). He loved being a dad and grandpa, reading bedtime stories and taking time to play—"volleyball" over a coffee table or "soccer" in the hallway with an inflated beach ball, making his "mouse" hankie "jump" up his arm as kids squealed, or entertaining with his hands making animal shadows on the wall by candlelight when the power went out. James surprised and impressed both younger generations by having the best poker face in card games of "I Doubt It." He creatively resolved food squabbles by making "mazes" on paper to lead to treat selections or had one sibling cut cake slices or scoop ice-cream while another got to "choose first" (an incentive for siblings to make portions precisely equal). James cut up countless oranges and melons for daily family breakfasts and made eggs on toast, Friday-morning oatmeal, Friday-night pizza, Saturday pancakes, and weekend "leftovers fried rice." He exercised great patience while teaching each of his children to ride a bike and later to drive.

James loved classical music, brisk walks, ping pong, vacations with his family, visits to botanical gardens and forests, singing hymns, listening to Handel's Messiah, laughing at jokes, and showing love and generosity to others through acts of service and gifts. He was deeply curious about the world and other people. He was an avid reader, enjoyed watching documentaries and nature shows, and soon after meeting someone new, he'd know their life story and be able to tell you every detail he'd learned about them. Even with Parkinson's Disease, he remained cheerful and eager to learn and help others. At senior homes in IL and VA, he applied himself (always a hard worker) to learning new activities like bridge and ballroom dancing, organizing hallway dance practices with his boombox, searching the dictionary for long words to contribute to group word games, leading Bible studies, and, as President of Resident Council, organizing resident holiday donations for staff. James had a particular fondness for ice-cream and mint dark chocolates, which he loved to share with his senior home's international staff, whom he delighted by learning to greet them in their (many) native languages. James was also a man of deep Christian faith who loved and desired to serve God, his family, and others well. He prayed regularly for others and committed himself to memorizing (hundreds of) verses from the Bible, which he would write out on index cards to keep handy in his shirt pocket and which he would often quote as a means of comforting or encouraging those around him.

"By God's mercy" (as James would say), he overcame adversity in various life challenges, and some of the Bible verses below were among many he highlighted:
"I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord's great love
we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
(Lamentations 3:19-23)

James's favorite hymns were "Amazing Grace" and "Just As I Am," and he also loved the song "Bring Him Home" from the musical Les Miserables. An excerpt from each is below:
"Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe;
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!"

"Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home."

"God on high, hear my prayer.
In my need, you have always been there...
Bring him peace, bring him joy...
Let him rest, heaven blessed--
Bring him home."

James is survived by his sisters, nieces and nephews, his children—Benjamin, Margaret, Peter, and Katherine—as well as seven grandchildren. We miss him and feel the loss of his sweet spirit and gentle, caring presence from our lives, but we also give thanks for the blessing of his life and all the wonderful ways we have been shaped by his love and good example.

A brief private burial (due to coronavirus restrictions) will be held at 11:00am on June 1, 2020 at Forest Lawn in Cypress, CA. Any flowers from outside vendors (Forest Lawn Flower Shop is closed) arriving by 9am on June 1st will be placed at the gravesite, though with limited staff available to assist, the family suggests that in lieu of flowers, a donation to The Upper Room ministries (upperroom.org), a devotional with contributing authors from all over the world that James loved reading and was encouraged by, or to the classical music station KUSC (kusc.org) that James enjoyed listening to while in CA, or to a symphony orchestra, Parkinson's Dance group, or library of your choice would also honor James. Thank you, and, as he would say, "The Lord bless you."

"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word." (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)