Sow Gin Jue

Sow Gin Jue born on January 7th 1936, died Sunday, May 1st 2016 at the age of 80.

Born in Canton, China, and son of KC and Sue Seto, Sow, also known as Gene to many of his friends and family, emigrated to the United States in 1954 with but twenty dollars in his pocket. For Gene this was a great adventure that he recounted many times with exceptional detail. He described the first time he took an airplane as filled with wonder and excitement and how it made multiple stops in Tokyo, Honolulu, California, Chicago, New York, and finally Boston, where he settled in Dorchester, MA in 1953. He was 17 years old. Among some of his favorite anecdotes was landing in New York and being hungry but not being able to speak English to the shopkeepers, eventually drawing a picture of a loaf of bread on a napkin. Or, of the first time he saw snow when landing in Boston. Or, of the extravagant hotel in Chicago.

Dedicated and hard working, he set his mind to create a life in his adopted country, working at a laundry in the mornings and going to school in the evenings. He prided himself with deftness and efficiency when ironing shirts, and was able to press and finish 100 shirts an hour. This speed allowed him to earn more and build a savings to support his extended family in China. He was drafted into the Army in 1955 and stationed at Fort Dix, NJ, and was honorably discharged after a few short months due to a family crisis.

After leaving the Army he went back to work at the laundry, and in 1957 became a sous chef at a Chinese restaurant where his specialty was roasted pork, spare ribs and steamed lobster. He used these skills in his home life often, where he enjoyed butchering meats and seafood and preparing delicacies for his family.

In 1959 he traveled to Hong Kong, where he met, courted and married May Yuk Leung on August 20th, who would be his wife for 58 years. 1961 was a busy year for Gene, his first son, Stanley was born; he established his own business, Lee Laundry in Watertown, and took a second job as a paper cutter at the Fay Paper Company.

His first daughter, Felicia, was born in 1962; and in 1963 he had saved enough money to move his family into a home in Newtonville, where he and his wife continued to live to present day. There he enjoyed growing tomatoes, picking berries to make stews, and reading business newspapers. He continued his education and earned his high school diploma at the Somerville High School in 1967, allowing him to join the Massachusetts Turnpike, where he worked until his retirement in 2001 at the age of 65. He was proud of his job at the Turnpike, working his way up to Supervisor at the Allston Brighton line, and was known for his good humor, warm laughter and booming voice, which he claimed he needed to have in order to talk above the traffic. In 1969 his second son, Shanley was born, and by 1976 he closed the laundry business.

When he was not working, he enjoyed taking his family on short trips to the beach and to the parks, and greatly enjoyed fishing. Gene often spoke about growing up in China, looking back at it fondly, and longing for its simpler life. He loved to share stories about its beauty and its hardships, of countless days walking with his grandfather in the fields, and of his grandmother who cared for him when his parents were away. He spoke matter-of-factly about the war with the Japanese when he was very young, and the insistence of his grandmother to send him to America where he could live a better life. He was an enthusiast of Chinese history, and was passionate of the classic tales of heroism and great battles, often quoting passages from The Three Kingdoms. This passion extended into a love for the martial arts, where he instilled its wisdom upon his children, encouraging them to study and train in Okinawan Uechi-Ryu, Go-Ju Ryu Karate, Hung Gar Gung Fu, Wushu, Tai Chi, Pa Kua, Hsing Yi and Wing Chun. If not working, he was often found shuttling his children between training classes and festivals, or, taking his entire family to watch the latest martial arts movies in Chinatown.

"My favorite memories of Dad are when he took me canoeing in the Charles River, fishing, and later on going to the tournaments and supporting me. But it was the every-day moments, like browsing at the Sears store, that was the most fun." said Stanley, his first son.

"Dad was always driving us to classes when we were young. It was ballet, acrobat and martial art classes for me. He also listened to all types of music, from the classic Blue Danube to Johnny Cash, Burl Ives, Bruce Springsteen and the Chinese Opera Classics which we dreaded whenever he plays them. We never liked Chinese Opera music because we never understood what they were singing about! Dad knew that it drove us crazy. He would smile, continue to listen to it, while we ran out of the room, with our hands cupped to our ears. He did have a strange sense of humor." said Felicia, his only daughter.

"Looking back, my father was an understated talent. He had excellent penmanship, writing beautiful letters in both Chinese and Roman characters, he was able to understand a broad range of subjects and always encouraged me to do the same 'It helps to know what people are talking about' he would always say. He had a great eye for photography and composition, I suspect he had drawing skills and an eclectic taste in music." said Shanley, his second son.

In his retirement he loved to play with his grandchildren, spoiling them with toys and his time, taking them on trips, and watching them grow and learn. He diligently followed the stock markets, and had an innate ability to understand business, often checking the financial sections in the paper. He traveled with his wife, visiting warmer climates, family and friends and sharing great food and drink. As a sports fan, he avidly followed all the Boston sports teams.

He is survived by his wife, May, 3 children; Stanley, Felicia and Shanley, and his 5 grand children; Terrance, Elaine, Harrison, Brian and Lucas.

At the request of his family, funeral services will be private.

In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to the Salvation Army.