Eulogy

TRIBUTE TO  VIVIENNE YING

        by Neville Ying (brother-in-law), read at memorial mass April 12, 2023

There is a lady sweet and kind,

Was never face so pleased my mind;

I did but see her passing by,

And yet I love her till I die.

Her gesture, motion, and her smiles,

Her wit, her voice, my heart beguiles,

Beguiles my heart, I know not why,

And yet I love her till I die.

These sentiments expressed by the poet Thomas Ford resonate with all of us of as we gather to give God thanks for the life and work of Vivienne Adel Ying.

As we  think of  her and the love and admiration  we have for her  we remember her  as Vivienne, Viv, Sister Viv , Aunt Viv,  Cousin Viv, or  Mom.

 But as Shakespeare said:

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Vivienne brought joy to her parents Esther and Alfred   from she entered  this world .Later  she shared love and care with  her siblings Charlie,    Donneth , Ahron  aka  Lennie and Sonia  and their families   , her husband for  over 50 years, Delroy,  her sons Joel and Delroy Ahron,  affectionately called Frubie. In addition  members of the Chin, Ying , Shim  and other families,   friends,  coworkers and members of her church have  all had the privilege of  enjoying the love and care  she  shared so generously during her lifetime. 

 My family  Esther , Brian,  Alaine  and I   as well as other families , relatives, friends and coworkers  shared many special moments with  Vivienne and her family .  Vivienne’s  endearing qualities  together with her  quiet sense of humour  and her  natural propensity for hospitality made  all of enjoy and cherish the times we spent together .

These precious moments  with Vivienne included:

Family dinners, family outings , shopping all day, playing games and solving puzzles such as those provided by Joel and Delroy Ahron.

One of the  high points  in Vivienne’ s  life  was celebrating the birthdays of family members. She was the first person to bake and share the cake to start the birthday celebrations.

Of course we cannot forget the family  stories especially those led by  by her  dear husband Delroy. These stories were  about the Ying, Chung, Chin, Chen and Stewart families while we tried to  trace our family roots and  family trees  . These stories highlighted the rich foundations and enduring value of the multicultural nature of the Jamaican society.

 The business acumen of Vivienne Ying was demonstrated while she operated alongside her husband Delroy  a successful supermarket  at Chando's Place in St Andrew Jamaica . Customers were drawn to this  popular spot because of  the honesty and integrity they  both displayed  in dealing with persons  from all levels of  the society and from different communities.

Customers could always  experience Vivienne’s exemplary  work ethic :  punctuality,  and loyalty  together with respect and respectfulness during her interactions with them.

Vivienne carried these commendable attributes with her when she migrated to Florida in the USA and served for 29 years as a medical laboratory technician at the Hollywood Medical Centre . In this position she continued to put into practice punctuality, reliability, consistency and humaneness.    

The Church was a very special and integral part of the Life of Vivienne Ying .

I have vivid memories of her wedding day at  the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Kingston Jamaica close the High School she attended – Convent of Mercy , Alpha Academy .

Her wedding was a very happy occasion.  As she and Delroy walked down the aisle with that sparkle in their eyes we in the audience could imagine them saying to each other the following lines from the song performed by  Placido Domingo and Maureen McGovern  :

I love you with a heart that knows no one but you

  A love I never thought I would find

A love that comes   just once and never comes again

A love until the end of time.

 Years later after Vivienne and her family migrated to Florida she continued her close relationship with her church.

My family,   Esther,  Brian , Alaine and I visited their home in Miramar  while she was an active member of  the St. John  XXIII  Catholic Church on Miramar Parkway and   the  Legion of St. Mary. 

  During our visit we had the following experiences related to  her devoted  involvement with her church. 

Vivienne going to Mass before we got awake.

Vivienne  going off to engage in different activities at her church  while we await her return to have dinner.

Vivienne was a godly woman with a  steadfast faith that enabled her to be an enduring, encouraging and prayerful person. She was endearing and engaging   while she interacted with a wide variety of persons from different stations in life and and persons with a diversity of personalities .

She was a woman of great strength who took disappointments when they came and threw them off quietly.

 As  I think  of her and her intense  involvement with her church  I likened Vivienne   to one of the sisters in the famous movie : Lilies  of the  field .

She consistently displayed passion , perseverance and tenacity while she implemented  initiatives  for improving the quality of the lives of the persons she served .

Consequently Vivienne Ying can be considered an exemplar for putting into action the hallmarks of a Servant Leader.

Vivienne we certainly miss you.  But, we are comforted by the fact that you are gone to a place where there is no more pain or sorrow ,

A place where there is everlasting peace and happiness.

Rest well Vivienne  in the great beyond.

Professor Neville Ying

Brother in Law

April 12, 2023.