Lester Yung Kong Lee Obituary (1941

Lester Yung Kong Lee, age 78, of Elgin, passed away September 5, 2020 in Elgin. Lester was born December 8, 1941 in Shanghai, China, to his parents, Chi Chun Lee and Cheng Wei Chang. Lester graduated from National Taiwan Normal University with his Bachelor of Science Degree in Mathematics in 1965. He then served in the Taiwan military from 1965 to 1966. Following his military service, he worked as a High School mathematics teacher in Taiwan from 1966 to 1967. Lester then moved to the United States to continue his education. He wanted to have an American name. His English teacher recommended "Leslie." He replied, "That's a girl's name" and instead chose Lester. Lester went on to earn his Master of Science in Mathematics from Truman State University in 1969 and his Master of Science in Computer Science from University of Iowa in 1971. He later worked for Unisys as a Software Engineering Director, retiring after 31 years of service. There he designed software database systems for mainframe data centers and excelled at winning business for the company. Lester met his loving wife, Wendy, through friends at a dumpling wrapping party in Taiwan. Together they shared 52 wonderful years of marriage. They both loved to travel, explore new places together, and go on cruises with family and friends. Lester was a seasoned business traveler, and he always made time to shop for souvenirs and enjoy local customs and cuisine. Lester cherished time with family and friends. He loved to get together for big family-style meals. He shared his enthusiasm for food through cooking, using his amazing knife skills. His specialty was shrimp in lobster sauce. Lester was a competitive athlete in his younger years. He participated in competitive swimming, pole vaulting, triple jump, and played volleyball, and singles and doubles ping pong. He also loved music and enjoyed playing the guitar and harmonica and singing karaoke. He played Sudoku and watched Minnesota Vikings Football on the couch to relax. Loved ones will remember Lester's strong work ethic, very caring attitude, mischievous sense of humor, and kind willingness to help anyone in need. Lester was preceded in death by his parents. Lester is survived by his loving wife, Wendy; children Jean (Paul) and Ellen (Mike); siblings Julian, Wei (Blair), Daniel (Anna), Yi-Ying, Edward (Lien), Bret, Amy (Robert), and Alice (Chao Ping); and grandchildren Zoe and Mia. Visitation will be 5:00p.m. - 9:00p.m. Thursday, September 10, 2020, at Symonds-Madison Funeral Home, 305 Park Street, Elgin, IL 60120, Rev. Michael Murschel of the Driftwood Center for Spiritual Health and Grief Support officiating. Interment will be private. To access the visitation remotely, loved ones are encouraged to log on safe from home via Zoom. (Meeting ID: 913 5094 5916, Password: 184629). In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to ALS Association. For more information, call 847-741-1128 or visit www.symondsmadison.com.