Al Sing Yuen

1932 - 2025

Al Sing Yuen
12/28/1932 - 08/31/2025
Al Sing Yuen - life-long learner, teacher, explorer, and community builder - passed away at home on August 31, 2025 at the age of 92. We will miss Al's love, his support, and his enthusiasm for new projects.
Al grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown, where he joined the Chinatown YMCA, the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown, and Cameron House. Here he found life-long friends and community. He received a teaching degree from San Francisco State University, and served in the US Navy before he married Christina Woo in 1957. Al and Chris were a great team - they both loved travel and family and community. They built a life that included three children, yearly trips to Lake Tahoe with friends and family, weekly dinners with Al's parents, and work within the Chinese American community. Al became a teacher and taught in Marin County before he was recruited by the San Francisco public schools to be one of the first Chinese American administrators in the district. He worked for SFUSD until he retired in 1988.
Al was devoted to his family and community. He was a loving father and an energetic grandfather. He was always making something for someone - an art project, Chinese food, photo collages - and he and Chris always took the time to drive to visit and chat with old friends and relatives. Until his last weeks, Al went for a daily walk and stopped to chat with neighbors and storekeepers - he seemed to know a tidbit about everyone he met. He reconnected with the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown and cherished the community and friends there.
Al was preceded in death by his parents Ben and Ann Sing Yuen, brother Walter Yuen, sisters- in-law Edna Yuen and Kim Yuen. Al is survived by his wife, Christina Yuen; his children, Noelle Yuen (Patrick Ryan), Nick Yuen (Sharon Ng), Joe Yuen (Mary Yuen); and 8 grandchildren (Jake, Anthea, Jenna, Allison, Raiden, Logan, Alex, and Aislyn). He also leaves behind brother Vincent Sing Yuen and many nieces and nephews and their offspring.
A celebration of Al's life will be held at Cameron House on December 28th, from 2-4:30pm. Please RSVP to Christina Yuen. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Al's name to the Presbyterian Church in Chinatown or to Cameron House, or reach out to a relative or neighbor and do something nice for them. Al would like that.