Suey Har Lock

Suey Har Lock, was a caring mother, grandmother and friend. She passed away peacefully in her Ballard

home on March 26, 2022 at the age of 88.

Suey was born to Kwong Wing Ho and Tin Shiu Ho on March 1, 1934 in Canton, China.

Suey’s father was born and living in Vancouver BC, Canada. She and her mother immigrated to

Vancouver BC, Canada in April 1950 at the age of 16.

Our mother’s passion for food and her business sense all started when she began working at the family

corner grocery store in Vancouver BC.

In 1953, while attending business school, Suey also worked at Zaro’s of America as a sales clerk. In April

1957, she worked as a Directory Compilation Clerk with the British Columbia Telephone Company.

During this time Suey met her husband to be Glen Lock. He resided in Aberdeen, WA.

They married at the Renfrew United Church in Vancouver, BC in November 1959. She later resigned

from the phone company in May 1960 to start her life as Mrs. Suey Har Lock in Aberdeen, WA.

Glen and Suey together with Glen’s mother and father, opened the Golden Dragon Cafe in Hoquiam, WA

in the early 60s.

Their ability to multi task running a business and raising a family was apparent with the birth of their 3

children, Michael 1960, David 1961 and Nancy in 1962.

Suey also found time to study and pass her naturalization exam. She became a naturalized citizen on

June 10, 1971.

They worked hard and long hours with few days off. On the weekends, the restaurant was extremely

busy. Instead of going home, the entire family slept in the back of the restaurant in the office/bedroom.

Glen and Suey created a very successful business and retired in 1981 with the sale of their restaurant.

During their retirement, they split time between their Aberdeen home and their Seattle apartment

spending time with friends and family and playing Mah Jong. In 1993, Glen passed away from lung

cancer.

Suey stayed busy with the management of her properties and did a great job at it by the glowing reviews

she received from her tenants. She was also an enthusiastic investor always watching her favorite

stocks pass by on the ticker tape on CNBC.

One of Suey’s hobbies was traveling with friends and family over the decades. She went on many

cruises to see the world with cousin Shirley Lee.

Suey had taken several trips to China but the one in 2013 was a special one. This trip was with Michael,

Cindy, Ian and Cindy’s mother, Gayle, to visit Glen’s ancestral village in Toishan. They were able to find

his childhood home and talk to someone who remembered him.

Suey also loved her grandson, Ian. She cherished any opportunity to spend time with him. She was

always interested in his school activities and looked forward to attending his high school choir

performances. Ian recently came home for Spring break and Suey’s face lit up like a Christmas tree

when she saw him.

Suey also loved visiting with her extended families children: Rhorrie, Bryan, Alex, Chipah, Lala, and Jordy.

For some reason when it came to saying Chipah’s name it always came out as Chipper. Suey would say,

“How is little Chipper?” It was endearing to hear her with her own way with words.

Suey was also very fond of Cousin Shirley’s granddaughters, Isabel and Abigail. The Cantonese word for

grandmother is PO PO. They lovingly referred to her as the Lollipop-I-PO.

Exercise was something else she enjoyed doing early on in life. Nancy remembers on the weekends,

before the restaurant opened, Suey would turn the TV on to The Jack LaLanne Show and follow along to

Jack’s exercises while Nancy would read the comics. Suey always went on long walks or did laps around

the Ballard High school track. Getting outside and moving was important to her.

Food equaled love to Suey. These past 6 months or so Suey had lots of good days and some challenging

ones. We all knew she was having a good day when she would say, “Have you eaten yet?” or “Let’s get

Sushi!” or “I’m hungry, what’s there to eat?”

For everyone who has spent time with Suey knows of her generous nature, infectious smile, sense of

humor, and thoughtfulness for everyone. We’ve all been lucky to have been blessed with her presence

and she will be deeply missed.

Michael, David, and Nancy would like to express their gratitude and appreciation to Cindy, her daughter

in law. She was attentive to Suey’s ever changing special dietary needs and cravings! Cindy would

spend countless hours getting her favorite foods and preparing meals for her.

They would also like to thank Tom LaForest. Suey and Tom shared a special bond. They talked on the

phone regularly. When she answered, he would say “Is this the little old lady from China?” She quickly

had him shorten it to “Is this the little lady from China?” Tom was able to get Suey out of her comfort

zone during their many unique adventures at Lake Quinault. He would take her out to look for elk, visit

oyster and razor clam beds. One of her favorite places was a private butcher shop where she saw how

elk, deer, bear, and salmon were prepared for steaks, hamburger and canning. Suey enjoyed the special

treats Don, the butcher would give to her during her visits.

Preceded in death by her husband, Glen and Suey’s older sister in Canton, China.

Suey is survived by her loving children Michael Lock (Cindy Lee) of Shoreline, David Lock of Seattle and

daughter Nancy Lock (Tom LaForest) of Lake Quinault, grandson Ian Lock of Shoreline, and numerous

nieces and nephews in Canton, China and Vancouver BC, Canada.

A private family memorial service is planned.

A celebration of life gathering will be planned for a later date.

People wishing to honor Suey’s lifelong commitment to family and friends can make a donation to

Northwest Harvest or American Cancer Society.

 

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