Wai Hiem Lui

On August 30, 2024, Wai Hiem Lui, age 86, was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather that had succumbed from his battle with Alzheimer's and dementia. He was born in Canton, China on June 8, 1938. He was a farmer, mechanic, delivery driver, cook, and a small business owner. These skills helped provide for his family.

In his 20's, his journey to the United States started in San Francisco. There, he met his future wife, Kit Ling, and had their first daughter, Anna. About a year later, they moved to Portland, Oregon where they had 5 more kids - Amy, William, Aaron, Jenny, and Cynthia. He found his passion working as a cook at Hi-Hat restaurant. Using those skills, he opened and owned several restaurants (Evergreen Kitchen, Linda's Cafe, New Chopsticks Kitchen, and Ice Cafe). Wai always believed in hard work and was able to persevere through all the tough times except the internal battle of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

After retiring, he spent a lot of time caring for his grandchildren, and continued cooking for his family and filling their stomachs with delicious home-cooked meals. But as the years went on, his memory of these recipes gradually faded, and he could no longer cook like he used to. Starting from 2020, his memory declined and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. Near the end of July 2024, he caught Covid, and slowly after, he unexpectedly passed away in his sleep.

Survived by his wife of 52 years, Kit Ling; his 6 children and their spouses, Anna & Joe, Amy & Randy, William & Jasmine, Aaron, Jenny & Hien, Cynthia & David, and his 7 grandchildren, Meng-Wan, Phong, Kali, Mira, Logan, Theodore & Athena; and his sister, Mai Jean Lee, and her family.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like you to donate towards the fight against Alzheimer’s/dementia at the link provided.

Donation Link: https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=910391