Ming Cheuk Gee

December 7, 1930 - July 1, 2023

With the foghorns wailing in the early morning, Ming died peacefully at home in San Francisco. He resided for 44 years with his best friends John Wong and Robert Speer in their 1912 Arts and Craft house, surrounded by verdant gardens. Ming was a fourth generation San Franciscan, who was taken at the age of 4 years by his grandfather to live (forever) in his family village in the Taishan Prefecture (Guangdong province of China). He was accompanied by his older brother Choy Cheuk and two sisters (The family consisted of 6 boys and 3 girls). He contracted malaria there and the Japanese bombed their village with the two rental stores there that his grandfather had built recently were destroyed. Before the Communist Revolution and the earlier deaths of his grandparents, he sailed with funding from his father back to San Francisco in 1946, wearing only cloth pajamas and having no possessions.

Ming worked hard to relearn again his native language in new studies. His parents required him to pay part of their rent in Chinatown, when he went to Commerce High School. Thus, during this time, he worked after school in a family friend’s laundry near Golden Gate Park to partially pay their rent. He enjoyed renting bicycles during the weekends for some fresh air. After high school, he enlisted in 1952 with the U.S. Air Force for four years before being subjected to the draft. He was fortunate to being sent to Frankfurt on Main in Germany, where he could visit all over Europe with weekend day-passes. This also gave him an opportunity to view the great European master paintings and drawings. He was especially inspired by the French artists: Monet, Degas, Matisse, and Toulouse-Lauttrec. And he wanted in the future to create his own approach to painting and drawing through their marvelous use of color, great draftsmanship, and fresh views of social settings. Thus, it was then that he suddenly realized an art career was his calling.

After his service, Ming returned to San Francisco and enrolled with the Academy of Art on a G. I. educational grant. He graduated in 1959. As an accomplished draftsman, Ming was able to spend the next nearly a decade in Texas establishing a career as a special merchandise designer, graphic designer, and costume designer for the fashion stores Neiman Marcus in Dallas and then Frost Brothers in San Antonio. At the end of this period, his greatest accomplishment was as the Designer of graphic design, illustrations, and uniforms for the future 1968 first Texas World’s Fair (Hemisfair) in San Antonio. Then he returned to San Francisco in 1967 at the invitation of the avant-garde Joseph Magnin Fashion Store to be their Assistant Art Director. He thought these were the golden years in fashion advertising with the best creative talent and management. After seeing his creative work, Connie Boucher, who was the CEO of Determined Productions had her secretary call several times. And he said that he was quite satisfied with his present position. Finally, Connie called him personally to have cocktails in her office suite and with his charming personality they were immediately the best of friends. He accepted the position of Senior Creative Designer in 1969 and held the position for twenty-five years. Connie was a selfmade millionaire, who was a pioneer in carton licensing.

Ming designed concepts for their international clients, which were manufactured in Japanese and Hong Kong factories. His inspirational ideas for the earlier Snoopy designs (Snoopy kimono, ceramics etc.), Cirque du Soliel, Peanuts, Felix the Cat, Raggedy Ann/Andy, Barbar the Elephant, and The World Wildlife Fund are among his major credits. Connie and Ming with Jim Young, her accomplished partner, traveled extensively in Europe and Asia in luxurious style. Ming would stay in one of their many ten offices for a month to get inspiration for designs and to advise the manufacturers for perfecting his designs for merchandise. He lived at this time on Filbert Steps. During this period, Ming was honored by the Art Direction Magazine, Graphics Only, the San Francisco Art Directors and Artists Club, and Paperboard Packaging Council.

In 1979, he partnered with John Wong and Robert Speer to buy a building and restaurant in the Castro District. Ming created an artist atelier in the two-room attic into a cabinet of his many curiosities on the fourth floor. Robert had his real estate office on the third floor. On the second floor was their elegant restaurant called “Snow Peas”, which catered largely to a local/ international LGBT crowd. The food was a blend of East and West (fusion cuisine) which was a first in San Francisco. Ming was the maître d’ for the eveningonly service and charmed most of the admiring diners. At this time, Ming moved into John and Robert’s home and after four years Snow Peas was closed, and this space was leased out, with Robert and Ming’s spaces retained. During this entire time, they continued to have a comfortable life of travel (both domestic and foreign), Ming drawing in his attic studio, fine dining, home parties, and exciting conversations. Ming was a patron of the Asian Art Museum and active in supporting the Society of Asian Art. He also enjoyed the SF Opera, SF Symphony, and all the other SF art museums. His happy demeaner and talent should remind us that the world is a better place, and certainly a more joyful place, with talented designers like Ming in it.

A memorial service was held privately in an Alexander Valley hillside sacred grove. Special thanks are given to UCSF Care at Home, By the Bay Hospice, Trident Society, and care giver Toby Zapanta. He is survived by his sister-in-law Chau Wan Gee, his sister Helen, and many nephews and nieces, as well as John Wong and Robert Speer.

In honor of the memory of Ming, please raise a glass of your favorite beverage to him.