Thomas Shing Wai Lee

On July 29th, 2025, Thomas Shing Wai Lee passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family and enjoying the lake view he had worked so hard for. He had been battling Gastric Adenocarcinoma (stomach cancer) since 2022.

Thomas was a dedicated husband to Miranda and a proud father to Christopher and Adia. Born on January 22, 1950, in Hong Kong, to the late Chik-Sang Lee and Fung Ngan Chan, he was the oldest of four siblings. He is survived by his brother (Shing Fat Lee), his sisters (Siu Yung Lee and Siu Ying Lee), wife (Miranda Lee), son (Christopher Lee), daughter (Adia Lee), and dog (Tofu Lee).

Thomas' professional journey began at age 17, working as a popcorn and hot dog supplier. He later worked as a tour guide in Hong Kong, which led him to Vancouver, Canada, where he worked as a cook. After immigrating to Canada at 26, Thomas studied English, cooking, and hairdressing. He later moved to Tungsten, Canada, working as a sous chef and sole hairdresser in the small town. During his 7 years in Tungsten, he dreamed of owning his own business. He returned to Vancouver, opened Canadian 2 for 1 pizza with his mother, and then started Sizzling Wok. Thomas expanded his vision to Michigan and immigrated around 1992, where he opened Flaming Wok in Northland Center Food Court and later added a sister restaurant, UMI. During this time, he took an interest in stocks and began to manage apartment properties. Even with all this, Thomas wanted a more standalone restaurant, and he found an opportunity with Golden Corral by owning and managing one in Shelby Township. After years of success, he expanded Golden Corral to Lansing and relocated Flaming Wok to an independent location in Southfield. During this period, he was actively managing two Golden Corrals and one Flaming Wok Express.

In 2019, at the age of 69, Thomas began to focus on his health and retirement, slowly selling off his businesses. After years of hard work and fulfilling his American Dream, he and his family moved to a retirement lakehouse in West Bloomfield in 2020.

In his free time, Thomas enjoyed fishing, tennis, swimming, soccer, and gardening. During his retirement, he continued to invest in stocks, managing rental apartments, and gardening / house maintenance.

Thomas was diagnosed with Gastric Adenocarcinoma stomach cancer in 2022, undergoing 36 rounds of chemotherapy. After achieving remission in February 2025, Thomas and Miranda celebrated in Hong Kong and China with extended family for a month. Following their trip, he faced kidney issues and aggressive cancer recurrence. After battling metastasized cancer and pneumonia, Thomas passed away peacefully surrounded by family on July 29th, 2025.

Funeral Service Saturday, August 2, 2025 at 12pm at Lynch & Sons Funeral Home, 1368 N. Crooks, Clawson, Michigan 48017. Friends may begin visiting at 10am. Burial will be in White Chapel Cemetery, Troy, Michigan.

Thomas's Service will be livestreamed and can be viewed here

The Service can also be viewed on YouTube here