Suey Y. Chin

 
SUEY YING CHIN  
Suey Ying Chin was 103 when she died of pneumonia August 17, 2011. Mrs. Chin lived at the Arcola nursing home in Silver Spring for seven years; before that, she was a D.C. resident for 55 years. She was born and raised in Taishan (Toishan) in southern China. She left China in 1949 during the Chinese civil war to join her husband, Darwin, in Washington, thus ending more than 20 years of war-torn separation. Mr. and Mrs. Chin were active members of the Chinese Community Church. After Darwin Chin, who owned the Stanley Hand Laundry on New York Avenue NW, died in 1967, Mrs. Chin ran the laundry almost single-handedly and managed a rooming house to make ends meet while being a single mother to two young sons. She was stalwart and wise in the face of challenges and tragedies. She outlived not only her beloved husband but also her only daughter, Gee Goon Moy, and her oldest son, Juk Min. She outlived many friends from church. Devotion to God helped her gain strength. She found joy in her garden, where she grew world-class winter melons and bitter melons. Despite the harsh, distinctive odor of the ginkgo tree's fruit, she hand-picked fresh seeds that fell from trees in Dupont Circle well before Westerners touted ginkgo extract as a possible antidote to dementia and early Alzheimer's disease. One of her saddest days came when she was in her 90s and her age finally began to show. Her kitchen stovetop had to be disconnected as a safety precaution. Undeterred, she continued to wield a wickedly sharp and large Chinese cleaver and cooked gourmet Chinese dishes with only three small electric rice cookers. She never could part with her delectable steamed chicken recipe; all she would say, in Toishanese, was: "Easy. Add salt, cook till done." But her generosity with God's word was unparalleled; Being on Mrs. Chin's prayer list gave people hope. She is survived by her No. 2 son and daughter-in-law, Kington and Faye Chin of Silver Spring, and her No. 3 son and daughter-in-law, Lon and Lily Chin of Arlington; 13 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Family will receive friends on Tuesday, August 23 at Collins Funeral Home, 500 University Blvd., West, Silver Spring, MD, visitation, 10 a.m.; service, 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Chinese Community Church, 500 I Street NW, Washington, DC 20001.