Lila Lai-Kuen Lee

Lila Lai-Kuen Lee was born in Toishan, China on April 28, 1937. She grew up during WW2 and lived with her mother and older brother, as her father had gone to the United States to seek a better life for his young family.

When the war ended, Lila attended school in Canton. After graduating high school, she attended Wah Nam Teacher Training College. When the Communist Party took over China, she moved with her mother and brother to Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong, she earned a permit to teach primary school.

In 1963, Lila married Wilkin Lee and came to the United States where she reunited with her father, mother, and brother, and raised three children: Terry, Evans, and Doreen.

While raising her children and caring for elderly in-laws, Lila learned English and earned her Associate of Arts degree in Child Development from Merritt College. She dreamed of teaching children in the United States as she had in Hong Kong. Upon graduation, she achieved her dream when she was hired into the Oakland Public Schools system. She became one of the district’s first Bilingual Liaisons plus Teaching Assistants and held the position for 27 years, making lifelong friends and enriching the lives of hundreds of children.

She is survived by her husband of 60 years Wilkin, her brother Wing K. Leong (Yet Leong), and her three children: Terry (Cindy Fong), Evans (Carol Lee), Doreen (Richard Young). She also leaves behind her beloved grandchildren: Gabriel, Cameron, Audrey, and Charlotte, as well as many dear relatives and friends.

A memorial service will be held at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, California, on Saturday, June 11th at 10:30am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent in Lila’s honor to the Chinese Congregational Church located in San Francisco, California.

Lloyd Benning Elliott—a long-time Berkeley resident, partner, father, grandfather, teacher, activist, and lifelong student devoted to love, peace, and silliness—passed away on April 18 due to heart failure, at the age of 69. He is survived by his wife Annette Cayot, children Evan (Jessica Tudor), Aaron (Justine Carmer), Ava Elise (Ross Fraser), stepdaughter Jessica Gelay, and three adored (and adorable!) grandchildren, Lubo, Ava Mina, and Adah, and sisters Rhonda Lakatos and Bronsa Swint. Ava Pischel Elliott, his first wife and mother of Evan, Aaron, and Ava Elise, preceded him in death in 1992.

His family formed the core of his world for his entire life. He met his first wife, Ava at the University of California Santa Barbara. When they graduated (he with a BA in philosophy), they moved to Berkeley, where he received a Master of Arts in Religion from the Pacific School of Religion. They had three children, Evan, Aaron, and Ava Elise. Lloyd’s second wife, Annette, along with her daughter, Jessica, joined the family in 1995.

Lloyd had a natural talent for working with children. He found his calling as a parent-volunteer at Dandelion Co-Op Nursery School, and later became a nursery school teacher for the children of UC Berkeley faculty and graduate students. Lloyd, a large man and a larger presence, could have been imposing–except he was too kind and gentle for that. He approached people with open arms, exuberance, and his infectious humor. One of Lloyd’s defining characteristics (besides his trademark Hawaiian shirts) was that when he was interested in something—his family, social justice, music, church, history, baseball, and much more—he dove in deep. He brought his appetite for bringing people together to another love, cooking. He relished cooking for a crowd, and mastered many cuisines. Music was another lifelong enthusiasm. For many years, Lloyd was a member of local bands that performed American traditional music, including early blues and New Orleansstyle music. He strongly supported Annette in her decades-long participation in classical choral music.

Lloyd’s generosity reached many different communities. He regularly cooked soup for the homeless in Berkeley, taught English pronunciation to immigrants at Canal Alliance, organized volunteer groups to work with immigrants at a border town in Texas, and developed and nurtured a long-standing relationship between the communities of Epworth UMC and a high-school in Nicaragua. Lloyd was proud of his children, perhaps more for how they handled their trials than their triumphs. Always leading with compassion, gentleness, and humor, he raised his children to be kind, curious, and quick with a witty joke. He spent a great deal of time with his beloved grandchildren, Lubo, Ava Mina, and Adah. He fostered their curiosity and growth by following their lead in games and activities.

The weekend before Lloyd passed away, he was at the top of his game. He spent Easter weekend participating in Easter services, organizing easter egg hunts for his grandchildren, and purchasing a fishing boat for his grandchildren for Fallen Leaf Lake. And he finally accomplished his life-long goal of not finishing Moby Dick.

The Appreciation of Life for Lloyd Elliott will be held at Epworth UMC, 1953 Hopkins St, Berkeley on June 11 at 2:30 pm.

The family asks that if anyone is moved to make a donation in Lloyd’s name, please do so to Epworth UMC Berkeley: Sanctuary Action Committee, Canal Alliance, or Consider the Homeless.